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30 Years to Life is a refreshing film, directed by an African-American woman, featuring an African-American cast that isn't focused on the hood, gangstas, or drugs. Not that there haven't been many good movies made about those subjects, but the studios sometimes seem to forget that there are plenty of young, professional African-Americans who deal with the more commonplace issues of relationships, careers, and the normal worries of growing older.

The film follows a group of friends over the year that they all turn 30 years old. The landmark birthday has them questioning where they are in their relationships, career, and life in general. If this sounds like an episode of Friends, that's not completely off base, but it should be taken in the best way possible. A clever screenplay and talented cast make this an entertaining film.

Unfortunately this doesn't seem to have impressed studios, who seem to have a hard time figuring out what to do with movies like this. So after screening at Sundance and winning awards at several other film festivals, it looks like the film will be going with a very limited release pattern. That means unless you live in a large city, you probably won't get a chance to see the film, but perhaps the film can garner enough attention to at least receive a prominent video release. (Calvin Trager/BOP)

April 8, 2002
The movie did not open on April 5th as scheduled and currently is not on the schedule for a new date. The official Web site still lists March of 2002 (it had been planned for March 15th). (Kim Hollis/BOP)

May 30, 2002
30 Years to Life will now open on June 7th. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

Vital statistics for 30 Years to Life Main Cast Erica Alexander, Melissa DeSousa, Kadeem Hardison, Tracy Morgan, Paula Jai Parker, Allen Payne, T.E. Russell Supporting Cast Eddie Brill, Janet Hubert-Whitten, Laz Alonso, Dominique, Wil Slyvince, Godfrey Danchimah Director Vanessa Middleton Screenwriter Vanessa Middleton Distributor Independent release Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://www.thirtyyearstolife.com Rating R Running Time 110 minutes Screen Count 1 Awards Nominee, Grand Jury Prize,2001 Sundance Film Festival Awards page for 30 Years to Life Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture