A Thin Line Between Love and Hate

A Thin Line Between Love and Hate is a 1996 American comedy thriller film. It tells the story of Darnell Wright (Martin Lawrence), a ladies' man who finds himself stalked by one of his obsessed lovers: Brandi (Lynn Whitfield), an attractive and successful, but unstable older businesswoman.

Not to be confused with Thin Line Between Love and Hate.
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMartin Lawrence
Screenplay byMartin Lawrence
Bentley Kyle Evans
Kenny Buford
Kim Bass
Story byMartin Lawrence
Produced byGeorge Jackson
Doug McHenry
Starring
Narrated byMartin Lawrence
CinematographyFrancis Kenny
Edited byJohn Carter
Music byRoger Troutman
Production
companies
Jackson-McHenry Entertainment
You Go Boy! Productions
Distributed byNew Line Cinema
Savoy Pictures
Release date
  • April 3, 1996 (1996-04-03)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8 million[1]
Box office$34.8 million [1]

Lawrence directed the film, and co-wrote the screenplay alongside Kenny Buford, Bentley Kyle Evans and Kim Bass. Released on April 3, 1996, the film grossed over $34 million at the box office against a budget of $8 million.

Plot

Nightclub manager Darnell Wright is a perpetual playboy and hopeless male chauvinist. He works for a nightclub called Chocolate City and aspires to be its owner. He trades VIP privileges at the club for favors from women. Though he is an expert at conning women, he sometimes worries about what his childhood sweetheart Mia thinks of his adventures.

When the beautiful and wealthy Brandi Web steps out of a limousine to enter the club, Darnell feels that he's met his ultimate prize.

She initially rejects his come-ons, which only fuels his appetite. He pursues her, showing up with flowers at her office. He finally wins over Brandi, only to find out that he's really in love with Mia.

One morning, Darnell awakes to find Brandi in his kitchen making bacon and pancakes. She wants him to hold her, but he pushes her off aggressively. However, Brandi doesn't take kindly to rejection. She becomes an obsessed femme fatale: stalking him, taking all four wheels off his SUV to ground him from his rounds, shattering his windshield, and setting his nightclub on fire. She hits herself with a fruit-stuffed stocking to cause herself bruises without fingerprints, and repeatedly slams a door on her arm injuring herself.

When Darnell goes to see her at the hospital, he is arrested for a false domestic violence charge. She then threatens Mia's life.

Ending his relationship with Mia is not enough to satisfy Brandi who finally administers Darnell's punishment for his misogyny. Darnell quickly learns the hard way that if you "play", you have to "pay."

Darnell, now suffering from a gun wound attempts to take the gun from Brandi, causing Brandi, Mia, and he to fall out of a window and land in a pool.

Darnell awakes from the fall in a hospital, with all his friends, family, and Mia standing over him. He decides to change his life for the better. Brandi is arrested and imprisoned.

Cast

Style

The plot of A Thin Line Between Love and Hate was influenced by Boomerang and Fatal Attraction.[2] The opening sequence, depicting Darnell lying unconscious and fully clothed face down in a swimming pool while narrating the events that led him to there, was influenced by Billy Wilder's 1950 film Sunset Boulevard.[3][4][5][6] The film has been classified as a comedy thriller.[4][7][8]

Reception

A Thin Line Between Love and Hate grossed $34,873,513 at the box office against a budget of $8 million.[1]

The critical reception of the film was mostly negative. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 15% rating based on 27 reviews.[9]

Soundtrack
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate – From the Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by
various artists
ReleasedJanuary 30, 1996
Recorded1995–1996
GenreHip hop, R&B
Length65:16
LabelWarner Bros.
ProducerTim & Bob, L. T. Hutton, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Roger Troutman, Somethin' for the People, R. Kelly, Soopafly, Battlecat, Eric Benét, D'Flow Production Squad, Touch, B-Love, Gizzo, Dwayne
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic link

A soundtrack containing hip hop and R&B music was released on January 30, 1996, by Warner Bros. Records. It peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and No. 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It consisted of a blend of hip hop and R&B music. The soundtrack contained three charting singles, "Beware of My Crew", "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate" and "Let's Stay Together". On most releases of the soundtrack, Track 16 ("Brown Sugar" by D’Angelo) is omitted from the soundtrack altogether, leaving only a total of 15 tracks.

  1. "Beware of My Crew" - 4:30 (LBC Crew featuring Tray Deee & South Sentrelle)
  2. "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate" - 4:50 (H-Town featuring Shirley Murdock & Roger Troutman)
  3. "Damned If I Do" - 3:54 (Somethin' for the People featuring Adina Howard)
  4. "Freak Tonight" - 3:57 (R. Kelly)
  5. "I Don't Hang" - 4:58 (Soopafly)
  6. "Love Got My Mind Trippin'" - 3:30 (Ganjah K)
  7. "Ring My Bell" - 4:20 (Luniz)
  8. "Playa fo Real" - 4:15 (Dru Down)
  9. "Chocolate City" - 4:39 (Roger Troutman featuring Shirley Murdock)
  10. "Thin Line" - 4:36 (Drawz)
  11. "It's Ladies Night at Chocolate City" - 3:49 (Dark Complexion)
  12. "Knocks Me Off My Feet" - 3:22 (Tevin Campbell)
  13. "Let's Stay Together" - 4:53 (Eric Benét)
  14. "Come Over" - 5:15 (Sandra St. Victor)
  15. "Way Back When" - 4:28 (Smooth)
  16. ”Brown Sugar” - 4:23 (D’Angelo)
Personnel
  • Dwayne – producer
  • Dave Aron – engineer
  • Arvel – programming
  • Alison Ball-Gabriel – director, executive producer
  • Battlecat – multi instruments, producer
  • Eric Benét – vocals, producer
  • Chris Brickley – engineer, assistant engineer
  • Priest Brooks – keyboards, producer
  • Denise Brown – executive producer
  • Larry Campbell – producer, mixing
  • Tevin Campbell – vocals
  • Cat Daddy Ro – programming
  • Jon Catfish – keyboards, vocals
  • D'Flow – producer
  • Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing
  • Michael Denten – engineer
  • Michael Denton – engineer
  • D'Flow Production Squad – producer
  • DJ Battlecat – producer
  • DJ Slip – engineer
  • Dru Down – vocals
  • Brian Frye – mixing assistant
  • Fuzzy Da Lil' Nasty – vocals
  • Brian Gardner – mastering
  • Leigh Genniss – engineer, executive producer, mixing
  • Stephen George – engineer, mixing
  • Barry Hankerson – executive producer
  • Yolanda Harris – vocals, backing vocals
  • Lili Hayden – violin
  • Tom Herzer – engineer
  • Adina Howard – vocals
  • D’Angelo - vocals
  • L.T. Hutton – keyboards, producer
  • George Jackson – executive producer
  • Greg Jacobs – engineer
  • Tim Kelley – drums, keyboards, producer, engineer
  • R. Kelly – multi instruments, producer, engineer, mixing
  • Vince Lars – saxophone
  • Martin Lawrence – executive producer
  • Bernard Lilton – arranger, keyboards, producer, vocal arrangement, moog bass
  • Alex Lowe – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
  • The Luniz – vocals
  • Tim "Flash" Mariner – producer, engineer
  • Doug McHenry – executive producer
  • Aaron McInnes – assistant engineer
  • Tony Mills – engineer
  • Shirley Murdock – vocals
  • George Nash, Jr. – guitar, producer, engineer
  • Bill Ortiz – trumpet
  • The Piano-Man – keyboards
  • Demonté Posey – keyboards, producer, engineer
  • Darin Prindle – engineer, mixing
  • Steve Prudholme – director
  • Timothy Christian Riley – piano, drums, electric piano
  • Bob Robinson – keyboards, producer
  • Sauce – programming, producer
  • Michael Schlesinger – mixing
  • Shock-G – arranger, drum programming
  • Dexter Simmons – engineer
  • Lance "Drawz" Simmons – vocal arrangement
  • D.J. Slip – engineer
  • Gary Smith – producer, drum programming
  • John Jubu Smith – bass, guitar
  • Snoop Dogg – keyboards, producer
  • Somethin' for the People – producer
  • Sandra St. Victor – arranger, vocals, producer
  • Booker T – mixing
  • Tim & Bob – producer
  • Chris Trevett – mixing
  • Lester Troutman – engineer
  • Roger Troutman – bass, guitar, drums, keyboards, vocals, producer, talk box
  • Joe Warlick – mixing assistant
  • D'Wayne Wiggins – guitar
  • Mike Wilson – assistant engineer, mixing assistant
  • Mario Winans – drums

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[10] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "A Thin Line Between Love & Hate (1996) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
  2. Lowry, Brian (March 31, 1996). "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate". Variety. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  3. Hunter, Stephen (April 2, 1996). "Glad to be a gigolo, until the end, that is Movie review: "A Thin Line" watches as bad boy plays, and then pays the price". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  4. Baumgarten, Marjorie (April 19, 1996). "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  5. Staff (April 30, 1996). "Film review: Thin Line Between Love and Hate, The". Deseret News.
  6. WH (September 10, 2012). "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate". Time Out. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  7. Bignell, Darren (January 1, 2000). "A jilted businesswoman gets her own back on Martin Lawrence's womanising nightclub owner". Empire. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  8. Jones, Alan. "A Thin Line between Love and Hate". Radio Times. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  9. "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
  10. "American album certifications – Soundtrack – A Thin Line Between Love and Hate". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
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