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Life or Something Like It

  • 20022002
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
26K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Angelina Jolie and Edward Burns in Life or Something Like It (2002)
Theatrical Trailer from 20th Century Fox
Play trailer2:28
2 Videos
83 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Romance
A reporter interviews a psychic, who tells her that she's going to die and her life is meaningless.A reporter interviews a psychic, who tells her that she's going to die and her life is meaningless.A reporter interviews a psychic, who tells her that she's going to die and her life is meaningless.
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
26K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Stephen Herek
  • Writers
    • John Scott Shepherd(story)
    • Dana Stevens(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Angelina Jolie
    • Edward Burns
    • Tony Shalhoub
Top credits
  • Director
    • Stephen Herek
  • Writers
    • John Scott Shepherd(story)
    • Dana Stevens(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Angelina Jolie
    • Edward Burns
    • Tony Shalhoub
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 134User reviews
    • 74Critic reviews
    • 31Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Videos2

    Life or Something Like It
    Trailer 2:28
    Life or Something Like It
    Life or Something Like It
    Trailer 2:31
    Life or Something Like It

    Photos83

    Angelina Jolie and Edward Burns in Life or Something Like It (2002)
    Angelina Jolie and Edward Burns in Life or Something Like It (2002)
    Stockard Channing in Life or Something Like It (2002)
    Angelina Jolie and Christopher Shyer in Life or Something Like It (2002)
    At a labor rally she's supposed to be covering for the evening news, an inebriated Lanie (ANGELINA JOLIE) leads picketing union members in an impromptu rendition of The Rolling Stones' ("I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."
    Lanie (ANGELINA JOLIE, left) celebrates an exciting new career move with Andrea (MELISSA ERRICO), Vin (MAX BAKER), and Dennis (GREG ITZIN).
    Pete (EDWARD BURNS) offers advice to a skeptical Lanie (ANGELINA JOLIE), whose once "perfect" life has been turned upside-down.
    Romantic sparks begin to fly between Lanie (ANGELINA JOLIE) and Pete (EDWARD BURNS), much to the surprise of their colleague Vin (MAX BAKER).
    Lanie (ANGELINA JOLIE) doesn't yet realize that her interview with street seer Prophet Jack (TONY SHALHOUB) will turn her "perfect" life upside down.
    Lanie (ANGELINA JOLIE) expresses her displeasure with Pete (EDWARD BURNS), a cameraman with whom she has long been at odds.
    Lanie (ANGELINA JOLIE) ponders some new developments in her life.
    ANGELINA JOLIE is Lanie Kerrigan, a Seattle television reporter who thinks her life is perfect -- but is about to learn it's anything but that.

    Top cast

    Edit
    Angelina Jolie
    Angelina Jolie
    • Lanie Kerriganas Lanie Kerrigan
    Edward Burns
    Edward Burns
    • Peteas Pete
    Tony Shalhoub
    Tony Shalhoub
    • Prophet Jackas Prophet Jack
    Christian Kane
    Christian Kane
    • Cal Cooperas Cal Cooper
    James Gammon
    James Gammon
    • Pat Kerriganas Pat Kerrigan
    Melissa Errico
    Melissa Errico
    • Andreaas Andrea
    Stockard Channing
    Stockard Channing
    • Deborah Connorsas Deborah Connors
    Lisa Thornhill
    Lisa Thornhill
    • Gwenas Gwen
    Gregory Itzin
    Gregory Itzin
    • Dennisas Dennis
    • (as Greg Itzin)
    Max Baker
    Max Baker
    • Vinas Vin
    Andromeda Dunker
    • Moas Mo
    Jesse James Rutherford
    • Tommyas Tommy
    Veena Sood
    Veena Sood
    • Doctoras Doctor
    Eric Snellman
    • Georgeas George
    Theron Zahn
    • Steveas Steve
    Paul Morgan Stetler
    Paul Morgan Stetler
    • Limo Driveras Limo Driver
    David Dunard
    • Striker Bobas Striker Bob
    Johnny 'Sugarbear' Willis
    • Striker #1as Striker #1
    • (as Johnny 'Sugar Bear' Willis)
    • Director
      • Stephen Herek
    • Writers
      • John Scott Shepherd(story) (screenplay)
      • Dana Stevens(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Christian Kane (Cal Cooper) is also the lead singer of outlaw country band Kane. When Cal comes out of the elevator towards the apartment, he's singing one of their songs "Sweet Carolina Rain".
    • Goofs
      When Lanie (Angelina Jolie) is shown around the AM USA set for the first time, she and the producer enter a darkened set before someone flips a switch and everything is illuminated with crew members bustling about (cleaning, checking cameras, etc). As Lanie enters the set, you can clearly see all the crew members are already in position at their stations, standing completely still and waiting for the light cue to start moving.
    • Quotes

      Cal: Is this you breaking up with me? Well will you think about it for a minute?

      Lanie: A minute just seems like a really long time to waste.

    • Connections
      Features Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
    • Soundtracks
      (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
      Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards

      Performed by The Rolling Stones

      Published by Abkco Music, Inc.

      By Arrangement with Abkco Records

    User reviews134

    Review
    Top review
    Won't change your life or your mood...
    If one is asked to sit through 99 minutes of a film that ponders, "Living every day as if it were your last," then the film should at least deliver a fresh prospective on this overdone topic. If it fails to do that, perhaps a character that the audience would care about is in order. Life Or Something Like It fails to do both.

    Lanie Kerrigan (Angelina Jolie) is a local Seattle news reporter who is being considered for posh job in New York, for "AM USA." She must first prove herself in the field by working with Pete, an experienced cameraman (Edward Burns) whom she supposedly hates. When the ambitious reporter interviews a homeless prophet, he announces that the blonde reporter will die within a week. Once all of his other predictions come true, Jolie's character begins to realize that she is in fact going to die. As Thursday (D-day) quickly approaches, the reporter re-evaluates her own life.

    The premise of the film is a little interesting at first. Sure, it has been done over and over again, but various interpretations have their own charm and there is room for more. However the development of the plot is just too obvious and there is nothing new, nor is anything portrayed in a very intriguing way.

    While Life was marketed as a light comedy, it is anything but. Comedy would have been a much better direction for the filmmakers, however aside from a few jokes on the sidelines, the film takes itself very seriously. The tone of the script is confused. It's similar to A Knight's Tale which also tried to hopelessly shift between drama and comic relief. In the end, we end up with a picture that doesn't work as a drama or a comedy. Throughout the film, it feels as though the filmmakers kept changing their minds.

    Unfortunately the confusion is not the only self-destructive component in the movie. The character development also does the job fairly well. Jolie shows Lanie's ambition sufficiently, but the movie suggests that there is more wrong with her life than a little healthy competition. It seems ridiculous that a person whose real tough faults we haven't seen is trying to change her ways. The movie seems to artificially pull Lanie into changing, instead of using character development as cause for such an evolution. Lanie changes at the end, but the question, "why?" remains. Pete's relationship with Lanie also seems forced. Pete flashes randomly throughout the movie, cueing Lanie's unfolding.

    Edward Burns carries his role well enough, but unfortunately there isn't much to carry. Angelina Jolie just doesn't seem to fit into this role and while she is a talented actress, there is something very odd about her in Life. In fact, Tony Shalhoub is the only actor who remotely stands out in this movie. Although his dialogue follows the same scripted fate as the others, Shalhoub manages to express with his voice and facial expression much more than the script actually inhibits.

    The script doesn't allow the audience to care much for any of the characters, doesn't contain a single original idea and tends to push ideas aggressively instead of allowing the audience to discover them. The script also leaves off various unresolved mysteries, most of which only seem to act as space fillers. The filmmakers take us towards one direction and back off immediately afterwards. Maybe they forgot? Considering the pacing, most of the audience did too.

    Life Or Something Like It is comparable to one scene where Lanie's soon to be ex-boyfriend, Cal, takes Lanie to a ballpark in the middle of the night to throw a few pitches after a heart-to-heart talk. Lanie expects Cal to have some words of wisdom for her, or at least charm - but doesn't catch anything except the ball. Life Or Something Like It won't change your life and it won't change your mood either.

    If you need to kill time, see the movie - But what if today is the last day of your life?

    Grade: D
    helpful•22
    11
    • modamag
    • Jul 4, 2002

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 26, 2002 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Життя чи щось таке
    • Filming locations
      • New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • New Regency Productions
      • Davis Entertainment
      • New Regency Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $40,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $14,448,589
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,219,234
      • Apr 28, 2002
    • Gross worldwide
      • $16,872,671
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 43 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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