Customer Reviews

Life or Something Like It : Widescreen Edition

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The best way that I feel I can describe this movie is this: I liked it, but I'm not exactly sure how much. There are several reasons why I liked the movie but not a lot of reasons to make me think it's one of the best ever made. First off, any fan of Angelina Jolie shouldn't think twice about seeing this movie. She continues to prove time and again what a versatile actress she is. And if anyone else had played her role, this movie would have come across extremely boring. The rest of the cast was well chosen but they definitely weren't enough to carry the movie by themselves. The addition of Stockard Channing was a very fitting one as she did an excellent job of playing the network news equivalent of Jenny Jones meets Barbara Walters. And Edward Burns does an adequate job of playing Jolie's cameraman and part time love interest.

The story itself had a lot of interesting elements to it. Angelina Jolie plays Lannie Kerrigan, a Seattle Reporter who is living the perfect life, or at least what she thinks is the perfect life. She has the perfect body, the perfect hair, a major league baseball player as her fiance, and is one step away from her perfect network news anchor job in New York City. Everything is running according to plan, when one day, while on assignment she is given some life altering news. A street prophet tells her that in one week she will die. At first she dismisses his prophecy as nothing to be taken seriously, but as his other predictions come true, her perfect world starts to unravel. She is forced to look at every aspect of her life and realizes that everything she thought was so important doesn't really matter. What follows is a mixture of sometimes funny and at times depressing series of events that teach her the true meaning of what a perfect life really is.

All in all a solid movie to go and see. The performances were all done very well, with Angelina Jolie being the bright spot in the whole movie. There were several memorable scenes, including the impromptu singing of "Satisfaction" during a bus driver strike. This movie was definitely a feel good comedy from start to finish, with a few sad parts that were necessary to bring the viewer back up. And my personal favorite scene was Jolie and her fiance taking batting practice. It just really cracked me up. This isn't a movie you have to see in theatre's by any means, but would be well worth the rental price sometime for a date night at home.

The Breakdown:
1. Plot-8 (neat structure for a romantic comedy)
2. Characters-8 (very detailed and well developed)
3. Flow-9 (moved along quite nicely)
4. Atmosphere-9 (you can tell a lot of thought went into the setup)
5. Cinematography-8 (not a lot of creativity but didn't look low budget either)
6. Entertainment value-9 (surprisingly attention grabbing for such a simple plot)
7. Replay Value-7 (not a movie I could watch all the time but not necessarily one I would turn off either)
8. Casting/character depth-9 (Great casting for the most part and excellent detail to characters)
9. Relevance to genre-8 (hard to categorize but a good all around movie)
10. X-factors-8 (Angelina Jolie alone makes this movie worth seeing)

83/100

After watching this wonderful romantic comedy one must simply come to the conclusion, if they haven't already, that Angelina Jolie has to be one of the best female actresses in the industry and has been for sometime. Every new film that I've watched her in just shows me more and more of what a versatile actress this beautiful woman is. I don't always purchase romantic comedies but with a lead actress the likes of Angelina Jolie, purchasing "Life or Something Like it" is a simple choice.

Between the script and the performances given by Angelina Jolie and Edward Burns and the other supporting actors in this film, this film is a sure thing when it comes to entertainment value. Of additional note is the exceptional performance by Tony Shalhoub whose character provides much of the catalyst for this wonderful film.

One only needs to click on the link for director Stephen Herek to see that given his past films, this film should be a very good one. He definitely deserves much praise for bringing this film together the way he did.

The Premise:

Lanie Kerrigan (Angelina Jolie) is an extremely ambitious and self absorbed local news reporter in Seattle whose star is rising and will soon have an opportunity to be elevated to the national level. The only thing in her way is her boss's insistence that she must do some camera work with Pete (Edward Burns) who is a former lover and their relationship isn't exactly a great one. As part of her work in Seattle, Pete takes her to meet Prophet Jack (Tony Shalhoub) who is a street bum with the talents of a prophet, hence his name. After she asks him whether she'll get the big job he tells that she won't because she's going to be dead on the following Thursday...

What follows from there is one of the best romantic comedies that I've watched in quite some time that is made that much better by Angelina Jolie's wonderful performance in the lead role!

I highly recommend this film to any and all that enjoys romantic comedies or just good movies in general! {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

-Full-Length Audio Commentary by Director Stephen Herek

I have seen this movie and it is quite good.
Angelina is just deep enough of an actress to pull off the deeper themes of reevaluating your life that run throught the film, but she is also out there enough to pull off slightly ditzi blonde with a plan and make it convincing. Edwards burns is just doing his classic look, "im scruffy, intelligent and cute" look. The chemistry between them, is quite apparant, which makes the romantical part ever so much more believable.
As for the movie itself, it is fairly well written, and some of the other charcters have depth that is there but never verbalized, and doesnt need to be, because thats how life is.
It is a great date movie or girls night out movie depending on your preference. It has it all for a sparkling late spring movie, lots of wit, some deepish themes, and a sprinkle of romance to move things along.
All in all one of the better movies i've seen this year so far. :) Enjoy!

I rented this movie thinking that it was going to be a typical romantic comedy. But I ended up loving this movie. Angelina Jolie was perfect for the role. The movie was sweet without going way out of hand with the typical trashy sexual jokes that come every 5 minutes. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes romantic comedies or Angelina Jolie.

Being a die-hard Angelina Jolie fan, I just had to see Life or Something Like It. I wasn't too enthusiastic about going after viewing the TV trailer, but Jolie is such a terrific actress, I figured, "How bad could it be?" Well, the answer is NOT BAD AT ALL. I expected a quirky comedy with the usual guy-gets-girl storyline. What I got was something I could relate to.
Have you ever wondered if decisions you've made have made your life more or less meaningful? Lanie (Angelina Jolie), a Seattle TV reporter, has 7 days to figure that out. After an interview with a homeless, self-proclaimed prophet, she's not so sure. You see, the prophet has predicted that, not only will she not get the big network job she's been striving for, but that Lanie will die the following week! With the help of cameraman Pete (Edward Burns), Lanie works on making her life meaningful before time runs out. And of course, in true romantic comedy fashion, she falls in love along the way.
Not only did I enjoy watching the movie, but I could tell that the actors enjoyed making the movie. In my favorite scene, Lanie leads a crowd of striking transit workers in a rousing rendition of the Rolling Stones hit "Satisfaction". You could tell Jolie & cast were having alot of fun with that scene.
It's a film that makes you think about the life we take for granted and the choices we make each day without a thought.
Go see this movie and you'll leave it like I did - with a smile on your face!

Angelina has made a carreer out of playing physically tough women. In "Life or something like it", she plays an emotionally strong women. Angelina plays Lanie Kerrigan, a tv journalist who has a path set out for her life as well as her carreer. Then, a homeless man with E.S.P. tells her that she is going to die in a week and a half. Lanie must figure out what is important in life before it is too late. Is it her job, her boyfriend, or the simpler things in life, like the laughter of children and taking the day off to go to a baseball game. Whatever it is, will Lanie figure it out before its too late? Angelina gives a heart string pulling perofrmance in this romantic comedy co-starring Ed Burns as the camera man with an attitude, and Stockard Channing as a Barbara Wlaters-esque journalist that Lanie aspires to be.

This is a wonderful movie. Go see it, but bring your tissue box.

Lanie is a successful career woman who seems to have the perfect life, but when she discovers she will die in a week, she realizes that her life is far from perfect.

This film is filled with interesting chracters and a very intriguing situation. It makes you wonder what you would do if you found out you were going to die in a week. Is work really that important? Does it really matter if you eat a burger instead of a salad? Do you need to tell the ones you love just how much they mean to you? These are the type of thoughts that occur to Lanie and would most likely occur to everyone who was in a situation like this. It also makes you realize that a wasted second is too much time to lose. The theme is: one day will be the last day of your life and since you don't know when that day is coming, you need to live everyday as if it's your last day.

It may be a trite message but the story is unique and easy to watch. The quick pacing flows well with the story and the characters are well-rounded. If you are in the mood for a somewhat sappy film about living life to the fullest, then I highly recommend.

As you probably know, this movie has not always been well-received. But, speaking as a die-hard fan of romantic comedies, I think those of you who love this genre should definitely watch this movie.

Most people who enjoy romantic comedies will probably admit that, though we love them, many of these movies have plot holes here and there, or at least admit that the likelihood of such things happening to real people is questionable. So, with that already in mind, a viewer often falls in love with one of these movies because: a.) they love the actors, actresses, or director involved, and/or b.) the certainty that everything will probably turn out okay in the end (even if sometimes the movie's resolution is not what you'd expect). If you fall into one/both of those categories, you should see LIFE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT.

One of the reasons I think this movie is great is because Angelina Jolie and Edward Burns (as well as Tony Shalhoub, as the street prophet) are such great actors, and their banter and chemistry are highly watchable. The supporting actors & actresses also add to each scene they're in, especially the guy playing the sound technician who works with Jolie's and Burns's characters when they are out on assignment.

I'm not someone who can tell when a movie is badly directed or superbly directed; I just know when I leave a movie happy for having seen it, or when I've felt the loopholes left in the finished product are way, way too big to ignore. So, having warned you of my novice critical skill, I think the director did a great job. (In his commentary on the DVD, he explains that this is one of the movies whose production was a bit rushed because of the expected actor's strike that the industry feared at the time. So, I think he may wish he could have tweaked things here and there, if he'd had more time.)

Nonetheless, you should see this movie because it will still grab your heart and make you think about what is important in your own life, while still giving you that romantic comedy "buzz" that will put a smile on your face and joy in your heart.

For newsreporter Lanie Kerrigan life is much like her platiunum blonde hair--perfect. She thinks she has it all: smashing good looks, regular aerobics at a trendy gym, a famous ballplayer boyfriend, and a big paycheck. Then one day, she meets a sidewalk seer who tells her that she will die within one week. Of course, she doesn't believe him, but when his other predictions come true, she thinks maybe this one will happen too.

Part of the charm of LIFE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT is that director Stephen Herek takes us from a place that we think we know and want--our glitzy work life--and to a place that we dare not even contemplate--the sureness of the end of life and how we live just prior to the closing of the curtain. Angelina Jolie is Lanie, in one of the most appealing roles of a surprisingly long career for such a young actress. Lanie seems like the typical bland bubblehead that appears daily on our tv screens--all hair, all teeth, and not an original thought in that lovely but empty head. But we soon enough find that beneath the glitter there is a woman who seeks more than what she thinks she wants, but doesn't yet know it. She begins to see cracks in her life. She has long had an ongoing dispute with her sister about whom their father always favored. She recognizes that her baseball boyfriend's idea of conflict resolution is to take nightly batting practice. She has tantalizing remorse about an affair with a co-worker (Edward Burns) that turned out badly but only because he did not fit in with her planned Big Scheme of Things. Then this sidewalk seer Prophet Jack (Tony Shalhoub) tells her that she will die next week. All of a sudden, she has to regroup and reprioritize. Prophet Jack makes it easy for her. He tells her of the stages that she must pass through from denial to anger to acceptance. Lanie goes through each, with each one forming a subplot to the movie. The most revelatory step occurs on air when she breaks all the rules in a street corner interview with strikers by leading them in a rousing head-shaking rendition of the Stones' I CAN'T GET NO SATISFACTION. Later, she passes through the final step in another on air interview with powerwoman Deborah (Stockard Channing) when she again deviates from the script in another attempt to secure journalistic integrity.

Yes, LIFE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT is a puffed up piece of romantic fluff comedy but the interaction between Jolie, Burns, Shalhoub, and Channing are solid enough so that as Lanie passes through her prophetic stages to achieve inner calm, so do we. When Lanie claims her prize of affirmation, again vicariously so do we. Only the best kind of acting and directing can do this.

This is a great little flick! Angelina Jolie is such a versatile actress and this really shows it. From "Foxfire" to "Tomb Raider" to this movie she is excellent and shows it. This is a funny movie. The best part is when her boyfriend comes home and finds her totally different from what she's usually like, it's hilarious! I'll let you see what she's like. You find yourself wishing that every time somethign is predicted that it's wrong. It's a pretty funny movie and Angelina is an awesome actress. Thi is definitely a movie I'd watch again. I would probaly have to really think about whether or not I'd want to buy it, but it'd be a good one to own. I reccomend it to anyone. It's realyl lighthearted and funny and sweet. It's really really good, you should check it out and rent it sometime in the near future! Enjoy!