Release: 1997, PolyGram Starring: Ewan McGregor, Cameron Diaz, Holly Hunter, Delroy Lindo, Tony Shalhoub, Sean Connery Director: Danny Boyle MPAA Rating: [R] violence, language Genre: Romantic Comedy
SUMMARY
After losing his cleaning job to a robot, Robert (McGregor) kidnaps the boss' daughter Celine (Diaz). Somewhere in all the mess, a couple of angels who are in charge of relationships work their magic to get the two together.
WHAT'S GOOD
Even though you might not be able to tell from the previews, A Life Less Ordinary is a romantic comedy at its core. The movie is delightfully quirky without feeling forced (e.g. U-Turn). Some movies go out of their way to be strange and unconventional in an attempt to be "artsy." But the unexpected twists in this movie seemed to fit well. Overall, the story is reminiscent of the Alicia Silverstone vehicle Excess Baggage, with one major improvement: this flick doesn't take itself so seriously. Absurd situations are taken to such an extreme that it's easy to just sit back and enjoy without being concerned about realism. What else would you expect from a movie that has Ewan McGregor shooting at a robot that stole his job, Sean Connery playing God in an uncredited role, and characters that talk to the camera? Besides all that, Cameron Diaz has an incredibly sexy smile--and she shoots a guy in the head!
WHAT'S BAD
The reviews from other critics that this movie has gotten. Anyone else read the write-up in Entertainment Weekly? That was probably the most vicious movie review I've seen all year! The guy who wrote that had a major stick up his ass. C'mon, it's not like A Life Less Ordinary is claiming to be "The Great American Movie." It's just out for fun, a few laughs, and a little style. The author of that article criticized every aspect of the movie, down to the title itself. Granted, the characters in this film are a little shallow, and maybe Diaz's character could stand to have some development beyond being a spoiled little princess. But it seems cruel to tear this movie down when there's so much other crap out there that's trying to push itself as something more.
Rating: 7 out of 10 (0=Abysmal, 5=Average, 10=Excellent)
