A Life Less Ordinary

Danny Boyle comes up with a charming romantic black comedy. With a fine cast, a fantastic screenplay, a great soundtrack and lots of comedy and some romance, 'A Life Less Ordinary' becomes a not-so-ordinary film. The comedy tracks are very well etched and there are numerous laugh-out-loud moments. However, I also noticed that many people, sadly, did not get most of the jokes. The characters are very unique. After all, where else would you see two cupids committing lots of violence in order to bring two lovers together? Both Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo are hilarious as the psychotic cupids. The romance track between the freshly paired Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz provides another comedic track. They share a great chemistry making the unusual romance between the fiery Celine and the naive Robert very convincing. There's also a brilliant song sequence in which the two actors display their singing talents and dancing skills. Of course, they are supported by talents like Ian Holm and Stanley Tucci who provide excellent comic relief. Hirakubo's sharp editing and Brian Tufano's superb camera-work give the film a slick edge. But it is, John Hodge's tight screenplay and Danny Boyle's direction that superbly balances it all together. You want to see something entertaining but different, 'A Life Less Ordinary' could be the movie you're looking for. It had me laughing from start to end.

I remember seeing A Life Less Ordinary back in the late 1990s with high expectations as Trainspotting was one, and still is, one of my all time favorite films. What I got was a different film, but not in a bad way. It was fun and very different from anything else that came out around that time. But the funny thing was that after I saw it I kept thinking about it, little things; lines and camera shots that stuck in my head. By the time I watched it again, a week or so later, it was like the film was an old friend. There is a charm in every scene of A Life Less Ordinary and if you are able to pick up on it the film is a great experience. People I know are split on the film, most think its just OK. Although I enjoy ALLO its not perfect, some parts don't work very well and come across as corny, but the good, my man Ewan is just great as the lovable loser, far outweighs the bad and thats why it has a place in my film collection.

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(This review was originally written by a man but then a robot replaced him.)

With divorce rates increasing, two angels are sent on a mission to bring men and women together as they should be - or not bother coming back to heaven. Their mission is a young man, Robert, who has been replaced as a cleaner by a robot and the spoilt daughter of his boss, Celine. The two meet as Robert bursts into his boss's office to demand his job back and accidentally ends up kidnapping Celine. As they go on the run they gradually grow to hate each other less.

Following up Trainspotting was never going to be an easy task - but at least they could have at least got near the quality of that film! In what feels like it wanted to be deliberately quirky, the plot involves angels controlling fate to bring two young people together in love. If it developed this idea in a structured and enjoyable manner then everything would have been fine, however as it is it is all over the place and doesn't really make much in the way of sense. Instead it feels more like a wildly out of control collection of stylish ideas.

In terms of narrative it barely hangs together and it creates a problem when it requires us to care for the characters and be part of their romance (as in, care about it). It is very appropriate that the end credits features a cartoon of sorts for that is fitting for the level of development that is in the central tale. The action is silly but not to the point where it gains the imaginative quirkiness of, say, the Coen brothers. Instead it is hard to penetrate the film and get involved with it, the action is daft and illogical, the laughs are rare and the characters are more like cartoon characters than people. It could have worked - but it doesn't.

The cast is good on paper, but the lack of material lets them down. McGregor came to fame through Boyle, but he gets done no favours here; he does stand out as someone who tries hard to make the material work, but he can't manage it. Diaz is good as well but again it's the material given to her that is the problem. The support cast is better simply because their lack of character and development isn't a problem; Lindo is good even if Hunter doesn't really fit in; although Holm and Hedaya have OK little cameos.

Overall this has energy but it doesn't really hang together in a way that works. It has touches of imagination and style but mostly it drowns in a sea of quirkiness lacking substance. It's a shame that such a talented cast and crew didn't have something better to work with - quirkiness for quirkiness' sake is not enough here.

I'm a big fan of Cameron Diaz, and Ewan McGregor caught my attention after his riveting performance in Trainspotting. McGregor is the bumbling kidnapper and Diaz is the victim who seems to know more about kidnapping than he does. All this makes for a really funny comic act from the duo as they progress from kidnapper/victim to lovers, with the help of some angels who live in a seemingly hip heaven. The pace of the movie doesn't let up much, and you find yourself immersed totally as you wait for the ending, which, sadly, could have more of a cliffhanger effect than it has now.

Years ago I didn't really like this film. I couldn't get into it, but I watched it the other night, needing a Ewan fix, and I loved it!!! It does seem a very strange mess of a movie if you browse thru it or happen to miss a scene while going to the bathroom, but I made myself pause it when I needed to and now I seem to get it!!!

Part road trip, part romantic comedy, part wacky comedy, part fantasy, it's all about how the angel Gabriel (Dan Hedaya) is getting pressure from the Big Man Himself to arrange love matches that will actually last.

Down on earth, oblivious to what's going on in heaven, a janitor named Robert (Ewan McGregor) has just been fired and replaced by a robot. His ruthless boss (a hysterical Ian Holm) refuses to even act apologetic about replacing hardworking men with mindless robots he doesn't have to pay. His reason completely gone, Robert kidnaps the spoiled princess daughter of his boss, Celine (Cameron Diaz) and hits the road with her, hoping to get his job, some money, or just an apology!!!

This is the kind of film which is perfect when you need something very fluffy and fun with no heaviness. There is some violence (one very funny scene involves Delroy Lindo forcing Robert to dig his own grave), but it's so funny and comedic that it's not going to fit in with the regular violence in movies, like in Die Hard or something.

It's a very delightful film for anyone who likes Ewan or Cameron. I think they had great chemistry and the whole movie was just pure fun!!!