A Life Less Ordinary (1997)

The Daughter of Marilyn Monroe and John Kennedy ...

Some things hold over time, while others do not. In the case of A Life Less Ordinary, I had hoped it would be the more optimistic of the two. While ten years have passed since I sat in the darkened movie theatre at the Beverly Center and watched this, a multitude of things have changed; and yes, I can safely say that my life has probably become more ordinary than less ordinary - so please take what I say with an objective ear, or eye ...

For Instance:

In the film Gasoline is only $1.39, now it's close to $4 a gallon.
In the film the Heroine is still moved by poetry, while women of today are not. You would probably be laughed at if you wrote a poem for most women, which is a shame to say the least.
In the film, the black bar presentation used to be a standard, now it's just an annoyance.
In the film, an obscure, but hip soundtrack was almost a new idea, now it's just a played out and an overused idea that ended when every TV show now features a pop-song or two.
In the film, you're subjected to what's known as the encore ending, which just keeps on going - now no studio would tolerate it.
In the film, the 103 minute runtime feels like 130 minutes.
In the film, a Wallace & Gromit style ending was unnecessary, these days they make entire films like that.


Overall, this film is pretty forgettable and most people have already done just that. Some people have seen it, a few vaguely remember it but honestly most have never heard of it. My experiences with this film are purely personal but mostly having to do with who I went with, rather than the movie itself. I can imagine that it's this way for most people as well. At best, this was just a fleeting failure of a date movie made in the early days of Danny Boyle, who would later dream up the greatest zombie flick ever made, 28 Days Later.

I was bored to tears in several places during this movie, which wasn't what I remembered but that's just the cruel irony of fate. The story seems to have elements of themes that were typical of the times, much like pictures from the great depression had themes of the everyman overcoming insurmountable odds. This film has the down and out young man, mopping diner floors like in Untamed Heart, the kidnapping plot from The Big Hit and of course the William S. Burroughs true story of "William Tell with a .454 Casul" thread that seemed to be so pervasive everywhere just before Burrough's much timely demise during that same year.

A dark time for romantic drama, or noir dramatic comedy or even ensemble picture, take your pick. From Maury Chaukin, who not only delivers the best one liner in the movie (I watch mostly the biblical channels), but did the same in Dances with Wolves (I've peed my pants and there's nothing you can do about it) ... to Delroy Lindo and Holly Hunter as rogue angels, on a mission from God and Gabriel, who almost together steal this entire movie, with a sub-plot that is vastly more interesting than the main plot.

So, with all the faults and lack of a developed story and riding on the successes of Trainspotting, this film will probably forever be delegated to the $5 bin at Walmaze or entirely forgotten.

Strangely, the one thing that was ahead of it's time in this -- was Ewan's idea for a pulp novel, which was rightly seen as "predictable". The story of an illegitimate daughter between Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy would be just the thing that Studio's would stupidly try to produce these days and think that it's cool and/or marketable.

March 3, 2008

DANNY BOYLE, OPUS 3

***1/2 1997. Directed by Danny Boyle. A love story between an unsuccessful writer and a wealthy heiress. This black comedy isn't the best movie (for that, check The Beach or Shallow Grave) so far of the British director but it deserves some attention. Superb dance scene between Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz. January 26, 2008

DVD

What can one say about this movie? It's a comedy mixed with a bit of tragedy, and includes many familiar actors, who may not have been as popular when they made this film as they are today, namely Holly Hunter, Delroy Lindo and Dan Hedaya (Carla's estranged husband from the TV show "Cheers"). Then there is the always hot Ewan MacGregor and the even hotter Cameron Diaz. Ewan's character is a bumbling idealist who inadvertently kidnaps Cameron's character, who plays a spoiled rich girl who has been kidnapped before, and knows the ropes. Holly and Delroy play marvelous "angels / messengers" sent to earth to make sure this young couple find each other and fall in love. It's a silly, sometimes violent, but unique premise that ends happily for all. January 22, 2008

Even My Inner Child Hated This Movie

The best thing about ''A Life Less Ordinary'' (1997) is the title. It's downhill from that point as the ''Shallow Grave'' and ''Trainspotting'' team stumbles big-time in this money losing and ill-conceived marriage of "It's A Wonderful Life" and "Raising Arizona". Just to be sure that no originality was added to this mix they incorporated a bit of "Reservoir Dogs" and cast Ewan McGregor to imitate Malcomb McDowell's Alex from "Clockwork Orange". Good grief this is bad.

Genre is anybody's guess but the database lists it as comedy and romance. The romance element is supposed to be supplied by McGregor and Cameron Diaz but with zero chemistry between them they have a hard time selling that element. Diaz is simply a horrible actress and Danny Boyle astonishingly clueless at acting for the camera direction so "A Life Less Ordinary" was pretty much doomed during the casting process.

Actually it was doomed during the writing process as comedy is in short supply and what drama there is just isn't enough to carry the movie; of course the drama element is not supposed to be the strength of a comedy romance.

What comedy elements exist are supplied by Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo, who play two angels sent to earth to engineer a romance between McGregor and Diaz (who his character has kidnapped). Hunter's bits are quite good and worth watching if you just want to fast forward through the remaining 2/3 or the movie. Somehow she comes off about 20 times sexier than Diaz, while basically doing a female version of her "Raising Arizona" adversary Leonard Smalls. This was totally unintentional, very scary, and a major embarrassment to the younger Diaz.

The kidnapping romance thing was done very badly in "Excess Baggage" but is actually worse here.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child. October 15, 2007

Who Stared?

A Life Less Ordinary has much to say. You just have to get by the stars Ewan Mc Gregor and Cameron Diaz. They say nothing and they do nothing for this movie. If you you watch if for them you are wasting your time and could be watching remakes of Leave it to Beaver. It is Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo that makes this movie worth 5 stars. Nothing in this movie is required of our major stars. Watch the angels forget the shallow stars. If you do this simple thing you will come away from each watching a better person. listen to the angels they have much to say. The movie is Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo. October 8, 2007

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