give the budget and the inexperience of everyone involve and livin tha life could have be bad . jamal want to be chris tucker ( whom i have always find very annoy ) and a a previous commentator have note and but peanut ( edward d. smith ) and while some of his ( over ) reaction go on way too long ( a director problem ) and have some comparatively subtle and funny moment and such a when he be try to instruct jamal on the proper method of smoke a joint with a buddy . throughout and he be usually more poised and self possess than jamal and which could have be the germ of a nice exploration of the contrast in the relationship but wasn not developed very far . but the inexperience of the writer or director or cinematographer or etc . be no excuse for his inattention . have he ever see a movie . face be important . have he ever hear of a closeup . even ed wood could do a closeup . i do not think it much of a budget issue . i could only give a general description of what any of the actor look like and and not just because of no closeup and but the lighting . light for outdoor shooting may cost too much and but you can make a reflector with piece of paper . that would have require move the camera closer to keep the reflector out of the shot and help to solve the closeup problem at the same time . if that too technical you can turn the actor around so they be not in shadow and or you can expose for the shadow and and if it hadn not be shoot in l. a. i would say take advantage of cloudy day . it go without say that the movie this one steal from be all and with the possible exception of weekend at bernie and good than this one and but livin tha life would have leave a much good impression if it hadn not make the viewer squint all the way through just to catch a glimpse of whatever the human element might have be . p. s. the scene in the barbershop be just stupid .