(2013-05-21 23:27:10)

An enjoyable evenings entertainment

Not every movie needs to be deep to be enjoyable. This movie isn't Oscar material, but I find it to be a great movie for just sitting down to and forgetting about life's little problems. If I have a bad day, at least my life isn't Robert Lewis'.Enjoy this movie for what it is. A bit of Fun!

Niro

(2013-05-21 05:56:42)

Boring? NOT.

I rarely make demands of any of you so I'll make this a less-than-simplerequest:Rent last year's "A Life Less Ordinary" at your earliestinconvenience. From the indie crew who created the wonderfully black comedy "Shallow Grave"and 1996's excellent "Trainspotting," this is their first venture intoHollywood's terrain limitations.It's a fantasy/romance/black comedy/involving God which features the bestcast this side of "The Myth of Fingerprints" [also from last year, whichjoined my "10 Best of '97 List" after I watched it yester~eve].Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo are angels sent to Earth when God becomestired of divorce, lovers spats, people falling out of love etc. Theirchore: to not-so-surreptitiously coerce a janitor [Ewan McGregor], who'sjust lost his job, and a rich semi~bitch [Cameron Diaz], whose father firedMcGregor and who has just shot her hubby-to-be [the always terrific StanleyTucci] to fall in love in order to remain in Heaven.It's dark, witty, has some terrific cinematography and some remarkable ideasre: romance, love and destiny.And for the record, I thought McGregor was a perfect counterpoint to Diaz's"experienced abductee instructor" character.Let's not forget the superior perfs by Ian Holm as Diaz's father and DanHedaya in a limited role as "Gabriel" ~ who sends Hunter and Lindo on theirmission.I loved it...4 Niro~Stars [of 4]PS to the self-described critic who asked "why was it never explained how aguy living in NYC had a British [more likely Scottish, but that would bequibbling] accent?"...I say... ever heard of Ellis Island? Guess what? There are also Asians,Hispanics, Germans, Irish, etc. in NYC. IE. there was no need to explain it~ he was a JANITOR for cripes' sake.

Nathan

(2013-05-20 10:54:31)

A vague but positive review with a warning attached

If you like weird movies you may like this one. This movie is a completetrip. The Angels played by Delroy Lindo, and Holly Hunter are the bestpart.They are funny in a strange sort of way. Holly Hunter uses three or fourdifferent voices in the movie, she is constantly doing somethingbizarre.If you're in for a good time and are willing to suspend your disbeliefyoumight like it.WARNING This movie contains the worst screen kiss ever filmed in theentirehistory of cinema. Cameron Diaz, and Ewan Macgregor after they rob a bankkiss each other, but it doesn't work out exactly as planned

mountart

(2013-05-19 16:49:55)

this picture is a just miss

a life less ordinary is one of those movies that just misses themark.... which is a shame, because it has the potential to be a reallygood movie.first, the fantasy sequences are not needed, they fall flat, justaren't done well and don't add anything to the movie. the directorcould learn a lesson from the coehn brothers on how to successfully usefantasy sequences.the whole angel premise is also not needed and just seems reallycontrived and just gets in the way and muddles everything up.cameron diaz and ewan mcgregor's performances and chemistry areexcellent, as are the rest of the performances from the eccentricsecondary cast.the scene play is way too all over the place and does not keep you onthe edge of your seat, instead i found my mind wandering, thinking tomyself, what a job the coehn brothers could have done with thismaterial and actors.oh well, nice try, but i can't recommend this movie other then for theperformances of the actors.

cousteau

(2013-05-16 16:48:08)

"Somewhere...."

yep...that's admittedly the *only* line I remember from the song playedduring the karaoke scene in . But that'sokay...I still got to see how good a singer Ewan McGregoris! Anyway, someone already said it, but I'll repeat it. Putting it mildly,this film is "a fun diversion". It's also quirky, unpredictable, hilarious,and at times, very suspenseful. There was one particular scene (I won't ruinit for people wo haven't yet seen) where the _____ thinks _____ and ______ are dead but saw them _______ so he goes a little nuts; well thesuspense along with Dan Hedaya's scene of finding out it's "beyond God'sauthority to intervene" was killer. F*** Tarrantino, this movie is cool byitself, not mentioning Cameron Diaz and Ewan McGregor.

(2013-05-15 23:07:10)

one of my favorite movies

A classic road movie / black comedy featuring the brilliant Ewan Mcgregor and of course Cammy Diaz! McGregor's character gets the sack from his boss and gets dumped by his girlfriend the same day. So with everything lost, he has nothing to lose when he storms up to the boss' office and demands his job back. In which he manages to kidnap the lovely Cameron Diaz. That's all I'll tell you! It's got to be one of my fave films ever. It's got great jokes [in a black comedy stylee] and lots of plot twists and turns with a great scene in the middle with 'Beyond the Sea!' An utter classic. You need it. It's so styylish and every time I watch it, I find I love it even more. Ahhh.

(2013-05-14 11:39:16)

Fun, fun, fun

Excellent soundtrack, great performances. Personally i like this movie because is not this silly romantic movies, that are shown to you all the time, is funny and light and not cloying!

(2013-05-14 01:04:28)

Love it!

This movie was highly enjoyable. Why it was trashed by the critics is anyone's guess. I am so glad I ignored all the bad reviews, cause this is a great movie that I completely fell in love with.

Neil Doyle

(2013-05-13 01:54:42)

A different sort of romantic comedy...

EWAN McGREGOR and CAMERON DIAZ star in this very different kind ofromantic fantasy featuring HOLLY HUNTER and DELROY LINDO as heavenlyagents assigned to unite a man and woman in eternal bliss, or forgetabout returning to their heavenly domain.Although this kind of fantasy has been done before (mostly in theHollywood films of the '40s), this is a different, edgier take on thewhole thing.McGregor is a janitor who loses his job when he's replaced by a robot.He's an idler who used to dream up the plots of trashy novels when hewas on the job. Now he's not only jobless, but his girl walks out ofhim when she finds someone more reliable.Diaz is a spoiled rich girl who actually helps him escape when he holdsup her father and a bunch of security guards and kidnaps her. She soonconvinces him that they can share the ransom money. Turns out she has aweird sense of humor, teasing and tormenting her naive and cluelesskidnapper, and a lot of mean spirited plot twists happen along the wayto the two finding romance.The strange interaction of the two with heavenly agents assigned to getthem to fall in love, is handled with wacky deftness. All of their farout plans to unite Diaz and McGregor seem to go awry, until...Well, youhave to watch the film to get the full story.Summing up: Enjoyable, far out screwball comedy. Diaz and McGregor arecharming in their spirited and very quirky leading roles. McGregor isespecially good at handling comic material with a straight face.

(2013-05-12 13:47:36)

What a waste!

This movie COULD have been great as a romantic comedy. All the elements were there--great actors, a fun premise. Great in theory, lousy in execution. McGregor comes off so weak and bumbling that he's completely ineffectual as the male lead. It's bad enough that he plays such a complete doofus, but did they have to give him what's probably the worst wardrobe and haircut I've ever seen on the guy!? Diaz's character is such a witch that you don't care whether or not she's happy in the end. Both of these flawed characters could have worked if there had been any character development at all, but mostly the viewer is just supposed to believe that these two people deserve happiness because the fates and divine guidance say so. You start out rooting for them, but 20 minutes into the story and you just don't care about either one of them. Both stars deserve better.

(2013-05-12 02:56:10)

Normally I don't like romantic comedies

But this one was just great! I rented it for a movie party with the Boyle-MacDonald team as the theme (already loved Trainspotting and Shallow Grave), and all the guests loved it too.The video store called it drama, but whoever made that classification obviously didn't watch it. We couldn't stop laughing! We had to watch the ransom call scene over again so we could hear it!I don't have much of an opinion of Cameron Diaz (the only other movie I've seen her in is The Mask), but I think she did well. If the movie were 10 years older, Michelle Pfeiffer would have gotten her role. Ewan McGregor, I love, and this movie is definitely worthy of his talent. The costume department went out of their way to make him look silly but he was still too cute for words. And watching his character get deeper and deeper over his head really drew me in.About the only beef I have with this movie is they never explained why some Scottish kid is working as a janitor in California, but it was good enough that I really didn't care.

Abdullah Al-Aabed

(2013-05-11 12:59:07)

A Different Brand of Romance

This is not just another romantic comedy. The movie gradually degeneratesinto a graphic portrayal of violence which leaves no scope for romance as weknow it. The pairing of the lead characters seems hardly believable. Anactress of Cameron Diaz's calibre should have been given more to do thansimply instruct Ewan McGregor on how to carry out a kidnapping. Speaking ofwhom, the movie never quite got around to explaining why a janitor in themiddle of Anytown,USA spoke with a British accent! The angel gag was theonly amusing part but even that had a corny ring to it.

Toro-4

(2013-05-04 04:49:01)

Entertaining

I liked this movie a lot. The directing & casting were great, & the actingwas great, especially Holly Hunter as an angel turned gun moll. Thecinematography was quite good; the initial scenes by the pool werecaptivating with the use of light and water; and the scene under the floorof the cabin was arresting.I found it unusual to see the female roles dominate the male roles, as thestory progresses into a sort of Bonnie and Clyde. A very entertaining movie,with some very funny parts (esp. the carrots in the trunk).

(2013-05-03 13:13:01)

Very pleased

Was very pleased with my purchase. All was handled in a timely manner and my dvd came to me in good condition. I will purchase from this seller again with no hesitation. Randy

Erin

(2013-05-02 22:29:54)

Not Oscar-caliber, but worth a viewing or two.

I know that A Life Less Ordinary is not a great film, but it's my favoritemovie and I love it. It's a fun movie about finding love in odd places.After a bad day, Robert decides he can't take it any more and holds up hisboss, eventually kidnapping his daughter. This brings on a whole set ofproblems that Robert never imagined. Though the plot is somewhatpredictable, it feels fresh. It's a funny, adventurous movie that will makeyou smile and wish you could be kidnapped, too (if Ewan McGregor kidnappedyou, would you complain?)

WhereYourTreasureIs

(2013-05-02 15:12:27)

This. is. my. favorite. movie. Ever.

So, I felt the need to write a review considering that, despite this,at time of writing, only has 6.3 stars on IMDb, this is my favoritemovie. Was it the first time I watched it? No, but I did like it. AndI've been able to watch it many times over and still love it. I guess alot of people don't get it or just don't like it, but this movie isperfect to me. I'm not sure exactly why I love it so much, but let'sstart with the cast: Ewan is absolutely adorable, Cameron plays hercharacter well, and the angels are great. (Delroy is good, but Holly isjust amazing - so hilarious). I also think that it's a clever conceptpresented in an entertaining way. This movie just totally clicks forme. It's a little strange (if I had to describe it in one word I woulduse "quirky"), but so am I, and so is life. I can't really think of anyother movies to compare it to, but if you like a story about love,coupled with a bit of whimsy, I think you will enjoy it. I literallycan't think of anything I would do to make it better (but I only ratedit nine stars because I'm sure there's something). Oh, and Ewan sings:)

(2013-05-01 09:25:37)

A great movie to watch when you have the flu.

Cameron Diaz and Ewan McGregor are star-crossed lovebirds on the lam in this twisted romantic comedy from the creatores of "Trianspotting". Celine(Diaz)is a spoiled, rich young woma whose worst nightmare is having her credit card rejected. Robert(McGregor) is a hapless janitor whose greatest dream is to write the Great American Trash Novel. They have nothing in common-except the burning desire to live "a life less ordinary." When Celine is kidnapped by the inept Robert, a pair of celetial cops are dispatched to earth to make sure that they live that "life less ordinary." together. Co-staring Holly hunter and Delroy Lindo, this irresistable romantic comedy is proof that love overcomes all.

Mick James

(2013-05-01 02:54:38)

How far should too far go?

There's something very odd about this movie...have you noticed how the two"angels" are only angelic when they're alone? I suspect the whole Heavensubplot was tacked on in a drastic reworking of the film after theoriginalversion (in which the "angels" would have been straightforawrd villainousdetectives) was found unpalatable. Take it out and what have you got... aTom & Jerry-ish mixture of No Orchards for Miss Blandish and It HappenedOneNight. It's either too violent for romantic comedy or not violent enoughasa black comedy. I'd love to know the story behind the making of thisfilm...someone lost their nerve, but who?

Mike

(2013-04-30 13:09:28)

Good, but mediocre offering from the makers of TRAINSPOTTING

The visual candy in here is satisfying, but the movie falls completely shortfrom where TRAINSPOTTING was. The movie fails miserably on the lines ofplot, and some of it is just plain weird. Most people will want to see itbecause of Cameron Diaz alone. Another thing that surprised me by this moviewas itsrating, it could've easily slipped by with a PG-13 rating.

(2013-04-30 07:46:49)

I Love This Movie!

I loved everything about this movie. Especially Ewan Mcgregor and the incredible sound track. Great Fun!