# A Thin Line Between Love and Hate
*A Thin Line Between Love and Hate* is a 1996 American romantic comedy-thriller directed by and starring [Martin Lawrence](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-lawrence), in which a womanizing Los Angeles nightclub promoter pursues a wealthy woman who refuses to let him go after he discards her. It was Lawrence's directorial debut, and he also co-wrote the screenplay.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/thin_line_between_love_and_hate) • [2](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/a-thin-line-between-love-and-hate-at-30)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Wide release April 3, 1996, by New Line Cinema; Los Angeles opening April 3, 1996[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Thin-Line-Between-Love-and-Hate-A-%281996%29) • [4](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60595-A-THIN-LINE-BETWEEN-LOVE-AND-HATE) |
| Director / star | Martin Lawrence, in his directorial debut, as Darnell Wright[2](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/a-thin-line-between-love-and-hate-at-30) |
| Lead cast | Lynn Whitfield as Brandi Web; Regina King as Mia Williams; Bobby Brown as Tee; Della Reese as Ma Wright[4](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60595-A-THIN-LINE-BETWEEN-LOVE-AND-HATE) |
| Writers | Martin Lawrence, Bentley Kyle Evans, Kenny Buford, and Kim Bass; story by Lawrence[4](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60595-A-THIN-LINE-BETWEEN-LOVE-AND-HATE) |
| Runtime / rating | 108 minutes (AFI lists 96 minutes); rated R for strong language, a sex scene and some violence[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Thin-Line-Between-Love-and-Hate-A-%281996%29) • [4](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60595-A-THIN-LINE-BETWEEN-LOVE-AND-HATE) |
| Box office | $8,000,000 production budget; $34,767,836 domestic and $35,599,803 worldwide gross[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0117891/credits/) |
| Music | The title track was performed by H-Town and produced by Troutman[4](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60595-A-THIN-LINE-BETWEEN-LOVE-AND-HATE) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117891/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Darnell Wright (Martin Lawrence) is a smooth-talking nightclub promoter in Los Angeles who, with his friend Tee ([Bobby Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/bobby-brown)), works for the dance club Chocolate City, filling it with beautiful women he hopes to conquer.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/04/05/thin-line-thinner-plot/0921c5d0-1f49-4ab4-b143-1ee290276dce/) On his rounds he meets Brandi Web ([Lynn Whitfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/lynn-whitfield)), a wealthy, self-assured real estate executive who is immune to his charm, and he resolves to win her, even telling her he loves her.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/04/05/thin-line-thinner-plot/0921c5d0-1f49-4ab4-b143-1ee290276dce/) • [8](https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1996/rt9604/960406/04090049.htm)
After Brandi relents and the two begin a relationship, Darnell tries to end it, and the film turns from comedy to suspense. Brandi, who killed her husband for allegedly abusing her, reacts with obsession: she vandalizes his car and the club, and stalks him as he realizes he is in danger and that he truly loves his childhood friend Mia ([Regina King](https://www.edgepedia.org/regina-king)), who has returned to the neighborhood after joining the Air Force.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/04/05/thin-line-thinner-plot/0921c5d0-1f49-4ab4-b143-1ee290276dce/) The supporting cast includes [Della Reese](https://www.edgepedia.org/della-reese) as Darnell's mother, [Roger E. Mosley](https://www.edgepedia.org/roger-e-mosley) as club owner Smitty, Malinda Williams as Erica Wright, Daryl Mitchell as Earl, Tommy Lister as Tyrone, and Tracy Morgan as a bartender.[9](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/a-thin-line-between-love-and-hate)
## Production
The film was produced by Douglas McHenry and George Jackson through You Go Boy! Productions, with [New Line Cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-line-cinema) as distributor. Francis Kenny was the cinematographer, John Carter the editor, and Simon Dobbin the production designer.[4](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60595-A-THIN-LINE-BETWEEN-LOVE-AND-HATE) The production budget was $8 million.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Thin-Line-Between-Love-and-Hate-A-%281996%29) The soundtrack's title song, "A Thin Line Between Love And Hate," was performed by H-Town, produced by [Roger Troutman](https://www.edgepedia.org/roger-troutman), and released through Luke Records.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117891/)
## Box office
The film opened on April 3, 1996, in 1,131 theaters and earned $9,310,414 on its opening weekend, 26.7 percent of its eventual total.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Thin-Line-Between-Love-and-Hate-A-%281996%29) It ran for an average of 7.2 weeks per theater and finished with a domestic gross of $34,873,513 according to The Numbers, or $34,767,836 according to [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo), against a worldwide total of $35,599,803, about 4.4 times its production budget.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Thin-Line-Between-Love-and-Hate-A-%281996%29) • [5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0117891/credits/) Nearly all of its gross was domestic; Box Office Mojo lists international receipts of $831,967.[5](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0117891/credits/) A home video release followed on January 16, 2007, from Warner Home Video.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Thin-Line-Between-Love-and-Hate-A-%281996%29)
## Reception
Critics were largely negative. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 15 percent Tomatometer from 26 reviews, while audiences polled for the site's Popcornmeter rated it 77 percent from more than 10,000 ratings.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/thin_line_between_love_and_hate) Reviewers repeatedly framed it against earlier films: the Roanoke Times called it "a curious combination of *Alfie* and *Fatal Attraction*,"[8](https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1996/rt9604/960406/04090049.htm) and Desson Howe of The Washington Post described an "uneven, pedestrian comedy" whose storyline suggested "a front-end collision between *House Party 2* and *Basic Instinct*."[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/04/05/thin-line-thinner-plot/0921c5d0-1f49-4ab4-b143-1ee290276dce/) Brian Lowry of Variety found it "sluggishly paced and too seldom funny," and Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote that it was "too serious to be a comedy, too flippant to be a thriller."[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/thin_line_between_love_and_hate) The Virginian-Pilot, by contrast, called it "an audacious and ambitious film" whose interest lies in not knowing how far it will go or in which direction.[10](https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1996/vp960404/04040030.htm) Common Sense Media criticized the film's treatment of its female characters, arguing that its portrayal of an abused woman as a predator undermined a real problem abused women face.[11](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/a-thin-line-between-love-and-hate)
**Lawrence's own view.** In a later Breakfast Club interview, Lawrence said the film was the closest he came to a dramatic role, noting that the industry offered him few such parts and that he had to create the opportunity himself.[12](https://podscripts.co/podcasts/the-breakfast-club/interview-martin-lawrence-talks-return-to-standup-blue-streak-sequel-fearless-comedy-more) The film has since been programmed in retrospective series such as the Philadelphia Film Society's "Black 90s" showcase, which situates it in the 1990s wave of Black American cinema.[13](https://filmadelphia.org/movies/a-thin-line-between-love-and-hate/)
## Legacy
The film marked the first feature directed by Lawrence, who went on to star in *Life*, *Big Momma's House*, and the *Bad Boys* franchise.[2](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/a-thin-line-between-love-and-hate-at-30) Its premise, a womanizer punished by an obsessed former partner, placed it in the mid-1990s cycle of *Fatal Attraction*-style stalker thrillers recast as comedy, and its plot tags in industry databases list "Relationships Gone Wrong, Revenge, Romance, Stalker, Womanizer" among its defining elements.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Thin-Line-Between-Love-and-Hate-A-%281996%29) The film remains available on streaming services including Starz and for digital rental and purchase.[9](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/a-thin-line-between-love-and-hate)
## References
1. [A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/thin_line_between_love_and_hate)
2. ["A Thin Line Between Love And Hate" Turns 30: See The Cast Now, Essence](https://www.essence.com/entertainment/a-thin-line-between-love-and-hate-at-30)
3. [A Thin Line Between Love & Hate (1996), Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Thin-Line-Between-Love-and-Hate-A-%281996%29)
4. [A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/60595-A-THIN-LINE-BETWEEN-LOVE-AND-HATE)
5. [A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0117891/credits/)
6. [A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117891/)
7. ["Thin Line": Thinner Plot, The Washington Post (April 4, 1996)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1996/04/05/thin-line-thinner-plot/0921c5d0-1f49-4ab4-b143-1ee290276dce/)
8. ["A Thin Line" Veers Off Course, The Roanoke Times (April 6, 1996)](https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/ROA-Times/issues/1996/rt9604/960406/04090049.htm)
9. [A Thin Line Between Love and Hate streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/a-thin-line-between-love-and-hate)
10. ["Line" Is Neither Comedy Nor Thriller, The Virginian-Pilot (April 4, 1996)](https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1996/vp960404/04040030.htm)
11. [A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/a-thin-line-between-love-and-hate)
12. [The Breakfast Club interview: Martin Lawrence Talks Return To Standup, "Blue Streak" Sequel, Fearless Comedy + More](https://podscripts.co/podcasts/the-breakfast-club/interview-martin-lawrence-talks-return-to-standup-blue-streak-sequel-fearless-comedy-more)
13. [A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Philadelphia Film Society](https://filmadelphia.org/movies/a-thin-line-between-love-and-hate/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 1995 to 1999 › Black and satirical comedies › Released 1995 to 1998*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license