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Ewan McGregor, Cameron Diaz, Holly Hunter, Delroy Lindo, Ian Holm ... see more see more... , Ian McNeice , Stanley Tucci , Dan Hedaya , Tony Shalhoub , K.K. Dodds , Maury Chaykin , Judith Ivey , Mel Winkler

The acclaimed Trainspotting trio (director Danny Boyle, producer Andrew Macdonald, scripter John Hodge) reunited for this update of '30s screwball comedies and '40s fantasies, such as Here Comes Mr. J... read more read more...ordan(1941), Angel on My Shoulder(1946), Down to Earth(1947), and the 1946 Stairway to Heaven (co-directed by Macdonald's grandfather, Emeric Pressburger). Tossed together for $12 million, the result is a combination salad, a surreal salmagundi with an added animated sequence for lagniappe. In Heaven, Gabriel (Dan Hedaya) sends angels O'Reilly (Holly Hunter) and Jackson (Delroy Lindo) down to Earth to make two people fall in love. If the angels fail, they must remain on Earth. The target couple: well-to-do Celine (Cameron Diaz) and impoverished, aspiring novelist Robert (Ewan McGregor), a janitor at the corporation owned by her wealthy father, Naville (Ian Holm). Robert loses his job, kidnaps Celine, and the two retreat to a mountain hideout where they discuss splitting the ransom. O'Reilly and Jackson plan to make Robert and Celine love each other by putting them in jeopardy, so the two angels get hired on by Naville as bounty hunters. Although Robert and Celine argue, they also sing and dance together at a local karaoke bar, a scene evocative of both Dennis Potter's Karaoke and the memorable karaoke performance by Cameron Diaz in My Best Friend's Wedding. The angels make few gains, but when Jackson is on the brink of killing Robert, Celine comes to his rescue. Naville cancels Celine's credit card, so she robs a bank. Robert is shot during the robbery, and Celine has dentist Elliot (Stanley Tucci) remove the bullet. Robert awakens, finds the two together, and knocks out Elliot, prompting an argument that leads Celine and Robert to separate. Plagued by their own problems, the angels kidnap Celine themselves, and as complications mount, Gabriel eventually has God intervene. Filmed in Utah, although Hodge originally planned the story to take place in France and England. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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55% liked it

53,347 ratings

Critics

39% liked it

36 critics

R, 1 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: Danny Boyle

Release Date: October 24, 1997

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DVD Release Date: March 20, 2001

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Stats: 1,634 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,634)

  • FrizzDrop
    May 26, 2012
    FrizzDrop
    This may be harsh to another's opinion, but this was a giant letdown in so many ways. Director Danny Boyle, who has thrilled with such enigmatic films as Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and Shallow Grave, decided to make a film that tries to be a plethora of things and fails at all... read more of them. Billed as a comedy, I find none of this humorous, eccentric at best and a general misfire in all. The only hint that this was a Danny Boyle films lies in the strange sequence changes, the odd surrealism, and the presence of his favorite actor to work with Ewan McGregor. It's obvious that this was supposed to be quirky cute with a hindrance of thriller, but it comes off stagnant and clichéd throughout. The agents or angels from heaven are the oddest placement within the storyline as they meander through, being wretched and saying eerily prescient things to, mostly, themselves. I liked their give and take, their queer sounding dialogue, but they needn't have been in the film at all. The entire angle of heavenly intervention and fate would have rung true if the stakes weren't so high. Why did they need this impossible couple to get together, and why were there a shortage of happy couples in the world? There are just as many happy people as sad (at least I hope that's true.) Beside that disgustingly clichéd decision there is the romantic entanglements between kidnapper Robert (McGregor) and Celine (Diaz). It would have been excusable if the two people that the film is actually based around were engaging, funny, lighthearted, even cute and cuddly in some respects. There is just zero chemistry between our two leads. Celine is supposed to be a broad with a penchant for slipping into the role of femme fatale, when really she's a lost, pandering nothing of a character, whose motives are at the whim of the plot. Robert is boring and slow, and is only existent to be a romantic lead, clumsy and bumbling as well as poor. The supporting cast was decent, but otherwise I found nothing redeeming in this other than seeing how Danny Boyle progressed as a director.
  • MizturY0da
    February 7, 2011
    MizturY0da
    2 stars and a half
  • movieguru12
    October 26, 2010
    movieguru12
    Complete & utter crap.
  • dreamfaeries
    August 29, 2010
    dreamfaeries
    Ewan was adorable as per usual, but I wanted something more from this movie. Cute, but not cute enough.
  • garyX
    August 24, 2010
    garyX
    A pair of angels are charged with making a spoilt heiress and her inept kidnapper fall in love. Danny Boyle's take on the rom com is clearly an attempt to break the Hollywood mainstream, but at least he did it with a little knowing charm. Clearly inspired by It Happened One Night... read more with a pinch of True Romance thrown in for good measure, it has the flavour of a Coen brothers' film and Raising Arizona in particular. McGregor and Diaz make a handsome couple although they don't quite click, and the comic relief provided by Hunter and Lindo is a little too post-Tarantino try hard. It certainly has its moments, but the story feels more like a patchwork of ideas that don't quite come together, highlighted in particular by the mildly embarrassing animation during the closing credits. Quirky enough to be enjoyable to the indie crowd but this is not exactly Boyle's finest moment. Nice try, but no cigar.
  • puffchunk
    May 10, 2010
    puffchunk
    This movie is hilarous! It has Angel cops that are totally crazy, Ian holm as an evil corporate boss, and I think just about everyone in this film gets fatally shot but nobody dies. Gotta have it's babies.

    On Second Viewing: Not quite as cool. Got bored, and everything that ... read morehappened didn't seem to be funny or important or special. I guess just watch this one once if you want to like it.
  • ythelastman89
    November 18, 2009
    ythelastman89
    A ridiculously well-made and honest romantic comedy. It boils down to a chick flick that a guy can actually enjoy. The acting from McGregor is great and same for Cameron Diaz (surprisingly). The directing was just perfect too because it gave it an edge that I don't think anyone b... read moreut Boyle could have pulled off.
  • groaningbitch
    October 18, 2009
    groaningbitch
    "a life less ordinary" is danny boyle's primary attempt to hit into american market after his smashing success of countercultural revolt in 1995's junkie cult "transpotting"...it was shot when ewan mcgregor still belonged to the trio of boyle/hodge/mcgregor screen team since "sha... read morellow grave", the art-house british channel 4 independent production before boyle sold him out in "the beach" by casting leonardo dicaprio in the role he was supposed to play, long before mcgregor's become commericialized star-war prop..it took place also when cameron diaz still played sassy hard-boiled femme fatale before "something about mary" sweetens and softens her screen persona as romantic lead..

    the scenario is goofy. it's about a stupid janitor who kidnaps his boss' daughter in a rage after he's fired and dumped by his live-in girlfriend..then these two fall in love absurdly. of course, even angels in the heaven are their guidances to the journey of celestial bliss despite the course involves mayhem and bloodshed. it's generally a mixed genre of romantic comeday and neo-noir. don't expect rationality and sensible plot-developments because the essence of this movie is a brazen cheer of slacker's hashish daydreaming and mcgregor's presented as a character of proteriat outrage in the oblivion of the generation x, a mutant divergence from his trainspotting persona. he fantasizes about writing a blatant trash-novel to redeem his miserable existence of ephemerality, and his ideal romance is a game-show called "perfect love", favored by a pampered brat who appreciates such weakling demeanors and even aids him to get the ransom from her abrasive father who insists on cutting off her allowances. they pretend they're pop-stars and cabret dancers along the melody of bob darin's "beyond the sea"...in spite of their slacker narcissism, they do have a naively sacred respect over the bond arranged by fate but their deterministic conventionalism's got to be rendered in their deviant imaginations like angels act like noir villains to help the course of destiny, blah blah blah...oh, bank-robbery could be a pleasant stimulus of passionate kiss..

    basically "a life less ordinary" is a celebration of "style over substance"..the costumes and location shots are particularly elaborated with a boyle trademark, such as mcgregor's mullet hairdo and floral shirt, diaz's bob-headed siren who high-hats men around..as for the location, i bet it's around the borderline of nevada and california where i've driven for several times while heading for las vegas, or it's around the woods in colorado??(i would be happy if anyone tells me where it's shot)...the valley cabin as the hideaway spot and the desolate driveway within the desert hills are well-selected and they all give you a otherworldly feeling of american universalism due to the unique perspective of a british director shooting america..

    audience might neglect it's neo-noir trying to act like romantic comedy, or the other way around, holly hunter and cameron diaz are the neo-femme-fatales who conduct themselves rough and ruthless like avenging fury with a pistol in well-tailored suit..diaz coaches mcgregor how to perform lethal dialogue to ask for ransom while hunter orders delroy lindo to murder mcgregor in the corder of dark woods digging a hole beforehand for the burial...the deliberate gender-reversal's gonna make you giggle..but eventually it's less a romantic comeday than dark farce since our hero only concedes his emotions to our heroine after someone persuades him with words "she's a glamorous pussy in heaven and you're a two-dime worker cleaning floor in hell, why bother to think too much over whether she's your type or not??" this movie has so many colors on its palette that it's too distractive to enjoy..but ain't the life-style of lovelorn slacker so? also, it has one of the coolest soundtracks ever like trainspotting since the soundtracks of danny boyle's movies always have a it chicness before he reached international fame by 28 days and slum millionaire.

    (ps) around the same year, alicia silverstone made a stupid comedy about love in the course of kidnapping with benicio del toro, called "excessive baggage"....the sketch of storyline does have a parallel but it's much less creative and much more mundanely melodramtic(should i just say cheesy?)...don't get mistaken by that.
  • SirPant
    September 25, 2009
    SirPant
    Was ok, hated the singing bit though! Was a bit of a letdown though after enjoying Trainspotting and Shallow Grave so much. I do think Boyle improved as a director during this film but he soon let himself down in The Beach. Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo stole the show in my opinion!
  • arashxak
    September 6, 2008
    arashxak
    "A comedy for anyone who's ever been in danger...of falling in love"

    EXTRAORDINARY, AMAZING, HILARIOUS

View All A Life Less Ordinary Reviews

Critic Reviews

Susan Wloszczyna
January 1, 2000
Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today

Flippantly hip without any solid laughs, Life strains to be the flick more offbeat.

Robert Roten
February 19, 2009
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope

It combines romance, comedy, the supernatural, violence, whimsy and music in a unique way. Full Review

Rob Gonsalves
August 13, 2007
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com

Any movie featuring Holly Hunter as a blood-spattered angel, grinning homicidally as she clings to the hood of a speeding car, is just about impossible to dislike. Full Review

Judith Egerton
July 1, 2004
Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

Part fantasy-adventure, part musical, part nutty romance and part boy-girl crime spree. Full Review

Luke Y. Thompson
May 19, 2004
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times

Impressive ambitions that fail at every turn. Ewan's really quite uncharacteristically dreadful.

Fred Topel
August 11, 2003
Fred Topel, About.com

Really clever fantasy romance. Great style and great humor.

Rebecca Murray
February 20, 2003
Rebecca Murray, About.com

Interesting storyline, great performances, and much better than the average romantic comedy.

Jeffrey Westhoff
July 2, 2002
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

Life may be messy, but it's usually entertaining.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
February 28, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

A madcap comedy about soulmates. Full Review

James Sanford
January 1, 2000
James Sanford, James Sanford on Film

little more than a string of set-pieces... (but) the movie looks and sounds fabulous, thanks to Boyle's sharp eye and a soundtrack featuring everyone from Underworld to Elvis. Full Review

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    • Celine: How much are you asking for?
    • Robert: Half a million.
    • Celine: Half a million dollars is not a lot of money for a woman like me!
    • Robert: I didn't mean it as a reflection of you as an individual!
Submit a Fact | View All

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A Life Less Ordinary Trivia

  • Ewan McGregor as a janitor who meets Cameron Diaz?  Answer »
  • "Are you taking me to a hospital? Cause i dont want to die in a hospital." "I'm not taking you to a hospital." "What, what do you mean you're not taking me to a hospital? I DEMAND to be taken to a hospital!"  Answer »
  • Which actor plays a fired cleaner, who kidnaps Cameran Diaz in A Life Less Ordinary?  Answer »
  • out of the following who doesn't get injured in A Life Less Ordinary?  Answer »
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