LIFE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT (½)
LIFE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT ends with the commonly used phrase, "Someone once said, live every day as if it will be your last." After the lead character starts to believe that her life will soon end, rarely does she emulate this statement. Instead of reconciling past bitterness, spending time with people she loves the most, or trying to rectify past regrets, she gets into petty arguments, responds to horny come-ons, performs rebellious acts, and spends the rest of the time making an ass out of herself. Like Stephen Hunter of the Washington Post says, "Oh, please. Stop and smell the manure."
The lead who comes to this realization is Lanie Kerrigan (Angelina Jolie of TOMB RAIDER), a Seattle TV reporter who upon interviewing Prophet Jack (Tony Shaloub of GALAXY QUEST), a homeless man who believes he is a prophet, is told that she will die in a week. She of course doesn't believe him, but once his other predictions come true (a football score, a hailstorm, and an earthquake), she becomes despondent. Her camera man and former flame Pete (Edward Burns of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN) comforts her and tries to show her what she's been missing all her life.
This movie is many things, and one of them is ignorant. How it can believe in the plausibility of its situations implies that it has either audacity, or stupidity. Why would a Seattle TV News station would want to interview a homeless man to predict if the local football team would win? Are ratings that bad? When she joins a picket line to interview the union head, she breaks out into song (this would work if it were a musical, but it ain't, so it doesn't) because she feels finally free. Does Pete try had enough to convince the studio chief not to go ahead with the interview? No. Is the studio chief worried when his camera man mentions her instability? No. When she turns the strike into a rock concert, the riot police tap their shoes to the beat. And get this... what happens after the incident? Does she get reprimanded? Suspended? Fired? No. She gets hired to Network TV. She gets promoted (I'm in the wrong profession).
You want more unlikely and contrived moments? Ok. When Lanie and Pete converse, they argue and trade snappy one-liners so much, that you know that they're bound to hop in the sack. Then they eventually subtely come on to each other and mention sex like its an afterthought (Their assistant tells them, "Why don't you two get a room already?"). Pete can't seem to get enough of using the question, "Define this..." or "Define that". Lanie just hates death, it's not on her schedule. She treats it like something that should be put on a calendar than something... oh I don't know... life-ending? When she talks to her sister whom she's had tension with all her life, she gives up on trying to make peace after one try. It doesn't help that her sister has also been given insufferable characteristics to make her incapable or having a reasonable conversation. Lanie doesn't even go to see her father after her "dead"-line has passed. How thoughtful.
And you know what takes the cake? Her network interview with Deborah Connors (Stockard Channing of SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION), a news anchor and interviewer resembling Barbara Walters who's had 25 (count 'em... 2-5) years of journalism experience. Lanie doesn't use the rehearsed questions she's been given by the network, but she comes up with a handful of questions, apparently so ground breaking and insightful, that is able put Deborah Connors to tears. Imagine an MTV VJ coming up to Ted Koppel and giving several inquiries so moving that he stutters. What happens after Deborah sheds tears? Wow... Lanie does too. In fact, every woman in the network studio, and probably every female TV viewer has got something in their eye (Clap... Clap...). If you cry at this moment, I'm going to slap you.
I could not believe Edward Burns did this movie. Most moviegoers have no idea how talented this man is, as an actor and as an independent filmmaker (He's the director, producer and writer of THE BROTHERS MCMULLEN and SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK). He makes such intelligent and interesting work, that to see him in this crock is depressing. Is he having trouble finding work? I hope not. Stockard Channing is wonderful in whatever she's in, and she is here. I can just imagine her reading this script when it was offered to her ("It's so silly, but what the heck?"). The only interesting character in this picture though is Prophet Jack played by Tony Shaloub, another talented actor. I would have paid to see his story rather than Lanie's.
But the one sole admirable thing in the movie is Angelina Jolie. No matter how embarrassingly dumb the screenplay is (especially for her character), she inhabits her role fully. She absolutely loses herself in her character. Her is a sign of professionalism and talent. Not once does she show a break of concentration. It's an impressive showcase of Ms. Jolie's capabilities, and proves that she can do comedy as ably as she can do aggression.
Technically, the film looks better than it deserves, with nice shots (especially the last few with the camera over Angelina Jolie's hospital bed) and good editing. But the story is just too imbecilic for me to recommend. It is too carefree. It wants us to feel good, but it's unlikelihood is as noticeable as a St. Bernard's dog poop on your bed. If the film wants to be a comedy, it should be about a person who's afraid of dying, not about a person who realizes that he or she is about to die. All of this "living life as if it were you're last" shtick is hypocritical, since Lanie does nothing of the sort.
Define stupid... you guessed it.
Posted by FLIPCRITIC at July 3, 2002 12:17 AM