Role of a Lifetime (2001)

Golden Globe-winner Scott Bakula gives a bravura performance as a has-been actor who gets a second chance to turn his life and career around after he assumes a new identity and auditions for the role he was born to play--himself--in a TV movie based on his life.

A Chance to Shine in the "Role of a Lifetime"

Scott Bakula turns in a bravura performance in "Role of a Lifetime." The range of characters he demonstrates is reminiscent of his days in "Quantum Leap" - the man is amazing. Bakula plays an over-the-hill actor who is presumed dead. He returns, unrecognized, to test for the role he was born to play: himself! The biopic is being written and directed by his ex-wife. Along the way, he begins to see himself as others had seen him. Lessons will be learned all around. Fans of Bakula will thoroughly enjoy this film. May 8, 2007

A Good Little Indy Film

I bought this DVD on a whim, as I'd never heard of it. And frankly, it's a cute little low budget gem that I'm glad I came across. The nutshell is that a has-been actor, Bobby Cellini, played smarmily by Scott Bakula, has an accident after losing out on yet another role, and disappears for 6 weeks. He returns to Hollywood to discover his ex-wife is writing and directing a movie about his life. His ego being slightly larger than his intellect, Cellini decides to audition for the role of himself, reasoning that nobody can play him better than himself. Although his best friend cautions that this is a very bad idea, Cellini takes on a stage name and gets the role.
What follows is reminiscent of Ebeneezer Scrooge getting a look at his life in A Christmas Carol; Cellini sees the "high points" of his life and his relationship with his wife, Chelsea, from her point of view, and it's not flattering. We see not only what a selfish human being Cellini was, but also the effect of acting out the movie from Chelsea's perspective has on Cellini himself. What's nice about the performance is that there is no "a-ha" moment where Cellini changes; rather, we see that he is basically a nice guy who let his self-absorption and his desire for fame ruin his marriage and make him a jerk.
All the performances, from the ex-wife, to the best friend, to the very funny bus stop guy, are subtle and just on point enough to nudge Cellini in the right direction. I kept expecting some moralizing sermon, but the film never goes there.
This is a sweet film; I recommend it.
September 10, 2005

This movie is good

Once it got going, you could see Scott Bakula the way we're used to seeing him in his Quantum Leap role...full of emotion, a character that you grow to love, etc. I really loved the way he connected with the man at the bus stop, the story line between those two characters, and how that part of the movie shows what a big impact one person (no matter how "great" or "small") can make on other people's lives. Something else it really makes you think about is..."What will people say about YOU when you're gone?"
August 20, 2005

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