the infirmary catches fire, and they seemingly perish in the flames. Willie concludes the tale by outlining Claude's plan: Ray and Claude would steal two bodies from the morgue, start the blaze, plant the bodies, hide and escape in the fire trucks. Willie reveals to the workers and inmates the plan worked: the bodies buried are not Ray and Claude, who have gone back to New York immediately and are watching a Yankees game. They are again on good terms, free and living together in Harlem. Cast Production In July 1996, it was announced Eddie Murphy star in the buddy comedy Life. Although Life is set in Parchman, Mississippi, it was filmed in California. Filming locations included Brentwood, Locke, Los Angeles, Downey, Norwalk, and Sacramento. Parts of the film were shot at a Rockwell Defense Plant in California. Reception Box office Life was released on April 16, 1999 in North America. The film grossed $73,475,268 worldwide against an $80 million budget, making it a financial disappointment. Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 51% based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The site's critic consensus reads, "Entertaining if not over-the-top humor from a solid comic duo provides plenty of laughs." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. The film gained a strong cult following, with Elliot Smith of Entertainment Weekly classifying it as one of Murphy’s best: A surprisingly touching buddy comedy-drama that both lives up to and subverts audience expectations, Life has become a cult classic over the past 20-plus years, showing the artistic range of stars Murphy and Martin Lawrence. The film is greatly aided by the steady hand of director Ted Demme, who gives his actors both freedom to shine while also reining in their overwrought impulses. Accolades Academy Awards nominated, Rick Baker for Best Makeup (1999) NAACP Image Award nominated for Outstanding Motion Picture (2000) BMI Film & TV Awards (won) for Most Performed Song from a Film (2000) Blockbuster Entertainment Awards nominated with Eddie Murphy for Favorite Comedy Team (2000) for the movie nominated for Favorite Song from a Movie (Fortunate) Soundtrack A soundtrack containing hip hop and R&B music was released on March 16, 1999 on Rock Land/Interscope Records.