''30 Years to Life'' is a 2001 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

, written and directed by Vanessa Middleton. The film, which marks Middleton's directorial debut, stars

Allen Payne Allen Payne (born Allen Roberts on July 7, 1968) is an American actor best known for his role as Jason Alexander in the 1994 drama film ''Jason's Lyric'', as well as his portrayal of C.J. Payne on the family sitcom '' Tyler Perry's House of Payn ...

Paula Jai Parker Paula Jai Parker is an American actress. She is best known for her supporting roles in the films ''Friday'' (1995), '' Sprung'' (1997), '' Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' (1998), ''Phone Booth'' (2002), '' Hustle & Flow'' (2005), and '' Idlewild'' (20 ...

, and

Tracy Morgan Tracy Jamal Morgan (born November 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor best known for his television work as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1996–2003) and for his role as Tracy Jordan in the sitcom ''30 Rock'' (2006 ...

. The film premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. The film released to theatres on June 7, 2002 in the United States.

Plot

A handful of close friends, due to turn 30, discover that their dreams for the future are running headfirst into the realities of adulthood in this character-driven comedy-drama. Natalie is a banker who is happy with her job, but is tired of being single, and her pursuit of a husband is taking her down several blind alleys in the world of dating. Joy has developed a similar desire to settle down and get married, but while she has a long-term boyfriend, Leland, he is not so sure he wants to make a lifetime commitment. Troy is a comic who has been on the verge of a career breakthrough for years, but he is starting to wonder if his big break is ever going to arrive. Malik is a white-collar executive who thinks life is passing him by, and is pondering giving up a stable career to start over as a model. And Stephanie is comfortable with her job in real estate, but she is not so comfortable with herself as she struggles with a weight problem she's had since childhood.

Cast

as Malik *

Erika Alexander Erika Rose Alexander (born November 19, 1969) is an American actress, writer, producer, entrepreneur and activist best known for her roles as Pam Tucker on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show'' (1990–1992), and Maxine Shaw on the FOX sitcom ''Livi ...

as Joy *

Kadeem Hardison Kadeem Hardison (born July 24, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dwayne Wayne on ''A Different World'', a spin-off of the long-running NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show''. He starred in the Disney Channel series ''K.C. Under ...

as Bruce * Melissa De Sousa as Natalie *

as Stephanie * T.E. Russell as Leland *

as Troy * Donald Koanegay as Damon *

Eddie Brill Eddie Brill is an American comedian, writer, and actor who started his career in Boston, Massachusetts. He was previously the warm-up comedian and comedy talent coordinator of '' Late Show with David Letterman''. Brill tours frequently, perfor ...

as Lenny *

Grace Garland Grace Garland (born in New York City) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She rose to fame in the early 1980s playing Vera Vanderbilt on the TV series ''All My Children''. She later went on to become a series regular on ''The Apollo Com ...

as Dr. Love * Laz Alonso as Richard

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film has a 67% approval rating from critics based on nine reviews, with an average rating of 5.61/10.

Accolades

; 2003 Black Reel Awards *Best Independent Actor (Theatrical) —

(winner) *Best Independent Actress (Theatrical) — Melissa De Sousa (nominated) ;

2001 Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

*Grand Jury Prize — Dramatic (nominated)

References

External links

* * * {{Rotten Tomatoes, 30_years_to_life 2001 films African-American comedy films 2001 comedy films 2000s English-language films 2001 directorial debut films 2000s American films