Product Details

• Actors: Marshall Bell, Tom Bower, Veronica Cartwright, Irma P. Hall, John Hawkes
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Lions Gate
• DVD Release Date: October 19, 2004
• Run Time: 109 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002S94AM
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #41,771 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "A Slipping Down Life" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Guy Pearce (Memento) and Lili Taylor (Six Feet Under) prove inspired casting for this otherwise mixed adaptation of Anne Tyler's novel. Taylor is Evie, a shy young woman stuck in a dead-end job (she wears a rabbit costume at a kiddie park) and living with her withdrawn father (Tom Bower). Something leaps to life in Evie when she hears the music of local wannabe rock star "Drum" Casey (Pearce), and she begins to live for his success--not as a groupie, but as a deeply stirred convert who even carves his name in her forehead. The two join over a mutual sense of mission and even marry, but as soon as the wildness in Evie's heart is tempered, Drum's self-doubt goes through the roof. Actress Toni Kalem (Sister Act) makes her directorial debut and, while she does an exceptional job shaping performances, the film is distractingly busy and weak in structure. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

Evie a dull wall flower in a dead end job is obsessed with a struggling musician. Through a fanatic event evie comes into focus & casey capitalizes on the attention she has drawn. Then it turns personal. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Release Date: 05/22/2007 Starring: Guy Pearce Sara Rue Run time: 109 minutes Rating: R

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding performances, December 19, 2005

By	Larry VanDeSande (Mason, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I saw this the same day I saw the big budget spectacular "The Aviator" about Howard Hughes. After seeing both it was clear to me which of the two films was better and had more lasting value -- this little slice of life about two unusual people cast together in small town America.

Guy Pearce plays a Southern rock musician and Lili Taylor plays a fan of his and, later, the object of his affection in this little movie about real people, real emotions and real events. Unlike the big budget blockbuster "The Aviator", this film was not full of stars gussied up to mimic famous people and their exploits.

This movie is more about real life as you may have lived and witnessed it. It has ver realistic performances and situations, unrelenting pathos, and an optimistic ending, something not guaranteed in movies this close to reality.

Pearce and Taylor give magnificent three dimensional performances in this film about coming out, friendship, idolatry, love, marriage and death. It is well worth your time and money and will give you longlasting pleasure and satisfaction.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Offbeat and unique romance. Great characters. Good film., September 4, 2004

By	Linda Linguvic (New York City) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Adapted from a novel by Ann Tyler, this is a small independent film that has finally been released after being an limbo since 1998. Toni Kalem, who sometimes appears as one of Carmela's friends in The Sopranos, is the writer/director of this film and she's taken the material and suited it well to the screen.

Starring Lili Taylor as a mousy young woman in a rather bleak and depressed small town in the south, we can all identify with her attraction to a local rock musician played by Guy Pearce. She becomes obsessed with him even though he doesn't even notice her. Suddenly, in an act that shocked me with its suddenness, she goes into a ladies room and, with a piece of broken glass, she carves his name into her forehead.

This, of course, gets his attention, and they even have their picture put in the newspaper together. It's not surprising that a romance then blossoms and they marry. During the rest of the film, we see the scar on her forehead in various stages of healing. Lili Taylor is an incredibly gifted actress and she plays the role both tough and sweet with an inner core that is clear, pure and honest, especially as her husband's career is failing and she's the one who has to hold the relationship together.

Most of the film is very subtle, the textures are soft, the feeling is quiet and we get a glimpse of the working class lives of the characters that is all about survival. And yet there is love in this film and the eccentric romance is unique and interesting. I would have enjoyed it a bit more if it were just a little shorter and moved a little faster. However, I'm aware that this is my particular taste and the rather slow pacing of this offbeat romance was well suited to the material. Recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strangely Compelling Story With An Amazing Soundtrack, April 17, 2006

By	K. Wilson "Film Critic and Avid Reader" (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Lili Taylor and Guy Pearce are totally convincing as two eccentric characters struggling with loneliness and longing for a different life than their sleepy Southern town has offered them so far.

A few interesting plot twists and amazing music make up for the areas where the film falters. The supporting characters are a bit cliched and the framework wasn't always fully laid down for the viewer to understand the character's motivations.

However, I do feel this film is underappreciated. Pearce and Taylor's realization of these characters surpasses the minor flaws. Guy Pearce manages a Jim Morrison-esque sexiness and impressive vocals in the musical sequences. I also highly recommend the Soundtrack album for this film.