There are a number of major surprises in the story that caught me off guard, and one or two places where I predicted in my head what was about to happen, only to be pleasantly shocked by the left turn taken in the script. Sometimes, in an effort to avoid the conventional, Bad Boys For Life veers too hard into the sublime. Following one particular plot twist, Marcus actually says aloud, “This is some real telenovela shit,” referencing his characters penchant for consuming daytime Mexican soap operas while babysitting his new grand baby. Self-referential jabs help acknowledge the ridiculousness of the plot points, but they are still there, and they bring Bad Boys For Life down a few notches when all is said and done.
