User reviews

By reading the comments here you might get an idea that this is a movie which you "either love or hate". I disagree. Actually I think the truth is quite the opposite - most likely you will be utterly confused by the movie and be very hard pressed to decide whether you liked it or not.

There is a rich girl and a dude with quite a bad luck run going on. The guy kidnaps a girl. There are also some angels whose role isn't clear. A lot of confusing things happen and then the movie ends. With a claymation sequence.

Perhaps if they threw out the whole "angels" angle it would be better. Perhaps the angels are the only thing saving it from being utter dreck. I don't know. That's the most honest comment I can give - I dunno. Much like the angels in question - it seems that even they are not really sure of what are their plans and motivations. But even if I disregard the whole angels and divine intervention stuff, sure fact is that the plot just zigs and zags and has more dead ends then Ozzy Osbourne's hair. Right when you think the movie goes somewhere, the plot throws another tiring curve-ball right up to the end. Which you probably will not like. Or will "get it" and then write essays about it here on the message boards, but let's not go there, I beg you.

For me the biggest complaint is that the movie tries so hard to enter the quite elusive "weird but entertaining" category and constantly fails. It is at times witty, at times trippy, at times baffling but never quite reaches the entertainment level it aims for. I can't say I didn't enjoy it, at times I really felt I'm loving it, but more it went on I couldn't but miss the fact that the creators really didn't have a clue what to do with it or where they wanted it to go. Rewatching further reinforced the fact I had the first time around - the movie's a mess, no matter how much it tried to hide it.

To sum up, this movie is at the same time good and amusing as well as utterly confusing, unpolished and tiresome. So in average it is, well, quite average.

5/10

Ebert once said about "The Usual Suspects" that to the extent he understood what was going on, he didn't care. I found that judgment to be a bit unfair but I've got to be honest, it perfectly summarizes my feeling about "A Life Less Ordinary", a film I wouldn't have cared about if it wasn't for a colleague telling me it's one of her favorite and lending me the DVD so I could watch it during the weekend. Talk about diplomatic pressure, I needed to see it twice, one time I didn't get everything and the second I did but it didn't enhance the initial feeling.

What's the film about? A deadbeat wannabe writer named Robert (Ewan McGregor) put in an imbroglio leading him to pretend he's kidnapping a rich girl named Celine (Cameron Diaz) and together they go for a road trip where the Police look after them, Celine's father (Ian Holm) want him dead and two angels assigned the mission to make them (of all the persons in the world) fall in love. Why we never know but in that bureaucratic white-clad heaven, orders are orders, Gabriel (Dan Hedaya) is the authority and neither Holly Hunter nor Delroy Lindo want to lose their jobs. And so starts their mission to save the institution of marriage.

Watching the film, I kept wondering why? Why this? The film isn't exactly "Badlands" or "Natural Born Killers", it does channel David Lynch's "Wild at Hart", Steven Spielberg's "Always" (with Holly Hunter in a similar role) and it has the same existential vibes as "Raising Arizona" with Boyle paraphrasing his own style from "Trainspotting". Yet the film never really takes off. For one reason, it doesn't have any staple, any character to relate to, love that is put on a pedestal is only supposed to save two angels who are not likable in the first place and unite two people who have nothing in common whatsoever.

Think of "True Romance", for all its bizarreness and stylish dialogues, it was a true romance indeed. All the aforementioned movies had the pretension to be romantic but I'm afraid "A Life Less Ordinary" tried too much to replicate some previous successes that it should have tried to be more ordinary to be more original, and not some exercise in style where every single moment is an installment of weirdness with a shot that aims for posterity. You could call the dance sequence begged to be the successor of "Pulp Fiction" twist scene.

And yet for all its attempt to be memorable, it's very telling that the film isn't exactly well remembered and that Cameron Diaz will be more remembered for her karaoke scene that same year in "My Best Friend's Wedding". She's radiant and unbelievably sexy in the film but her character is never really inviting for empathy, from the start she acts like a spoiled rich girl which makes the appreciation of her feelings toward Robert rather problematic, it tells something that it took two angels sent from Heaven (and not good angels at that). As for Ewan McGregor, It's hard to accept a character like Robert after Renton in "Trainspotting" and his haircut was perhaps the least inspired after Al Pacino in "The Godfather Part III".

What else to say? Maybe with a different mindset and a few cans of beer, I would have enjoyed it a little more... The soundtrack is great though and the stunt work is impressive, but Boyle was so busy making something original he forgot one basic element of filmmaking: telling a compelling story. Well, maybe the story had potential... and the execution is to blame. It's good in in its entertaining way, a MTV movie award entertaining but I hope Boyle didn't aim for the Golden Palm with that?!

Once again, I rented this movie only because Ewan McGregor is in it. Man, what a disappointment. He doesn't even look that great in this movie. Its like they were going to for the David Bowie look but they forgot that David Bowie is gay (or bi or whatever, who cares).

Anyway, the story *sigh* what a mess. Apparently, the characters are *destined* to be together but unless some angels drop in to help out its not going to happen. They never say why they have to be together. Or why they won't fall in love on their own. Or why they can't fix they're problems themselves...lots of plot holes. Kinda reminds me of the plot holes in Eye of The Beholder, only at least there were *funny* moments in this movie. NOT MANY! But one or two here and there.

I wouldn't say the acting was bad. Its not like they had a lot to work with. Some of the characters I never figured out what was going on with them; like Holly Hunter's character. I know Holly Hunter can act, but her character was suppose to help these too people fall in love and she *really* wanted to kill Ewan McGregor in one particular scene. I don't know why! I wish someone would please explain it to me. I'm not sure if its the director's or the writer's fault.

Anyway, the ending... also a mess. I'm not going to spoil it for you here, but it brought corniness to a whole new level... I mean low... level... It was so bad I could have cried. At least Ewan McGregor was wearing a kilt. That doesn't make up for it too much though.

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!!!

I really liked this movie in the beginning. It was a fresh start, a funny story, great actors and unusual behavior.

Never has a kidnapper been this clumsy, never a victim this sexy. I was awestruck to see Cameron doing her "we are in our honeymoon" speech at the door... wow, this smile.

But unfortunately, the end of the movie got weirder and weirder. Being shot in the heart and still to survive might be called post-modern art whatever, I just think it is junk. This movie deserved a better finale. Too bad.

In Los Angeles, the janitor and aspirant writer of trash novel Robert Lewis (Ewan McGregor) is fired and replace by a robot. He goes to the office of his boss Naville (Ian Holm) and has an argument with him, demanding his job back. When the security guards surround him, Robert abducts the daughter of his boss Celine Naville (Cameron Diaz) to escape from the building. The witty Celine convinces Robert to request a large amount for ransom to her father. Meanwhile, the fallen angels O'Reilly (Holly Hunter) and Jackson (Delroy Lindo) are assigned by their chief Gabriel (Dan Hedaya) to help Robert and Celine to fall in love with each other, otherwise they will never return home.

"A Life Less Ordinary" is a highly entertaining romantic comedy with a crazy and funny story. Cameron Diaz is awesome in the role of the spoiled Celine, and show a wonderful chemistry with Ewan McGregor. They form one of the most unlike couples, forcing the angels to use unconventional methods to bring them together. I saw this film on 03 July 1999 for the first time, and today I have just watched it again on DVD. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Por Uma Vida Menos Ordinária" ("For a Life Less Ordinary")

Also good is Dan Hedeya as the Angel Gabriel. Stanley Tucci plays an insane orthodontist well. But the lead roles as so-so. Cameron Diaz does her best with very limited material and Ewan McGregor's part is so overwritten as to barely allow any leeway whatesoever.

In the style of wacky runaway heiress or road buddies on the lam films a la Frank Capra, A Life Less Ordinary is a dark comedy that stretches the definition of funny. Director Danny Boyle's previous hits, e.g. Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, were morality tales with wit and style that defined the British cinema of the 90s. ALLO is not up to either wit or style in a rambling odd story of frustrated love. Ewan McGregor, an actor who is lively and dynamic in his two previous Boyle pictures never seems to find his character as Robert, a closet pulp fiction writer/janitor living in Salt Lake City, Utah. Robert's lack of Mr. Clean talent result in a ballistic impulse after he is fired and replaced by a bad R2D2 imitation robotic floor-sweeper. The target of his anger, the bratty daughter of the company owner.

Camerion Diaz as Celine is lovely in the role of a spoiled brat kidnapped by Robert, but the chemistry between the two actors never heats up the screen. Wacky heiress Celine can't sing or dance while the nebbish kidnapper sings and dances rings around her. Charming Robert can't threaten or write a convincing ransom letter, but Celine is such a harpy, her condesending and chrulishness towards Robert fail to exude any audience sympathy. Instead, it transfers to the overwhelmed kidnapper rather than the shrewish Celine.

Adding to the muddled storyline are two bumbling angels (Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo) whose divine task is to assure the mismatched pair fall in love. It is a subplot that distracts rather than adds to the story. If the plot sounded confused it is because Boyle never seemed to make up his mind what the kind of film he wanted to direct.

The stellar cast attempts to save their roles but are handicapped by a screenplay that never quite follows a recognizable genre. The American film debut of director Danny Boyle and producer Andrew MacDonald flounders under so many problems that ALLO is a comedy of errors, misdirection, and ambiguity that failed to entertain.

After the success of Trainspotting (1995), British filmmaking trio, Danny Boyle, John Hodge & Andrew MacDonald made A Life less Ordinary. The film could not be a more different departure from their previous effort. A Life less Ordinary is a wild and sweat natured romantic fantasy, concerning our hero Robert (Ewan McGregor) and spoiled rich girl Celine (Cameron Diaz) and the two angels (Hunter & Lindo) who are given the task of getting them to fall in love. Boyle uses many great cinematic techniques to make the film seem even more fantastic, and Hodges writing is some of the funniest in a long time. Sadly the film does go off the rails somewhat in the last twenty minutes, but it's still an extremely entertaining film, full of bizarre characters and images that makes it one of the most enjoyable two hours you could spend watching a film.

8/10

Certainly an unusual tale (although divine intervention in romance is hardly unique in movies) I was attracted to it by the two chief actors. I'd have to say it was patchy at best. The plot was rather disjointed, didn't develop well and was somewhat predictable. The 'Potter-esque' aspects seemed rather contrived, and the casting was questionable. In spite of all this, it was not an unpleasant movie, but I'm glad I waited for the video.

It seems that with A Life Less Ordinary you either love it or you hate it. Personally I am of the former persuasion, with it being a favourite of mine. I can see were the detractors come from, especially after viewing Boyle & Hodge's previous works. ALLO is in a completely different in style to their previous two films Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. But to say it is the weaker of the three films would be a fallacy. Stylistically the film is excellent - reminding me a lot of a Coen brothers film. The script is spot on and the performances of McGregor and Diaz are both excellent (which surprised me for Diaz) as their does seem to be a real chemistry between the two. A very enjoyable romantic comedy overall, and if an old cynic like me can say that, it must be good.

A Life Less Ordinary is a nice little movie that is quickly becomming a cult film along with the other MacGregor/Boyle collaborations. The plot is very far fetched of course, but the terrific all star cast and a great performance by Ewan MacGregor make this a very enjoyable movie. There is also few moments in the film that are actually very funny, especially the scene with Maury Chaykin(Dances With Wolves, My Cousin Vinnie) as the paranoid mountain man, which really made me laugh. Although its not the best movie ive ever seen, It was cute and I'll watch it again. ***1/2 out of *****

This is probably the worst film I have ever seen and believe me I have seen a lot of bad films. The plot is unfinished and abrupt and the things do not tie together satisfactorily. The end is tacky and though extremely unpredictable, almost stupid like they couldn't think of anyway to resolve it so they just stuck on the first thing that came to mind and personally and I know that this is only a matter of opinion, i think you will have more fun doing your revision for your GCSE's!

One of those Action/ Adventure/ Romance/ Comedy movies... Entertaining, but it seems there is something lacking in this movie. It falls just short of being good, something is missing. Like, it is trying to be funny, and trying to be romantic, and trying to be hip, but it just does not quite make it.

Stylistically reminiscent of other films, like Pulp Fiction, and Snatch, but it does not come off nearly as well. It lacks energy, and does not engage sufficient interest.

I will stop short of saying that viewing this movie was a waste of time. It has its moments, but there is a lot of mediocrity to wade through between the few good bits.

It left me a bit disappointed, with unrealized potential, wishing it had been better, as it seems to me it could have been.

6 out of 10

After rising to directorial fame with the very European Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, Danny Boyle decided to live a little and make his own American road movie A Life Less Ordinary. The film is the third collaboration between Boyle and actor Ewan McGregor. This time around McGregor plays Robert Lewis, a janitor for a large company who gets fired and replaced by a robot. In order to get back at the company he kidnaps the CEO's daughter, Cameron Diaz. An unlikely relationship develops between the kidnapper and kidnapee, a relationship helped along by two "angels" who are in charge of matchmaking human beings on Earth. It's a quirky romantic comedy with an unexpectedly violent streak running down the middle.

It's hard to comprehend exactly what this movie is trying to accomplish. It's romantic but not exactly touching. It's comedic without being overtly hilarious. It's eccentric and violent without feeling like an exploitation film. This weird mix of clashing genres actually does the film some good though, as it really is a lot of fun. It's strange, it's offbeat, and it's plenty entertaining from start to finish. It's got that Danny Boyle style that courses so strong through the auteur's veins. Of course you can't expect Trainspotting from it because A Life Less Ordinary is substantially watered down, and doesn't have the kind of human element we see in a dark character study like Trainspotting. The story is nothing special, but it's fun and it serves its purpose.

Again, I'm not sure what the point of A Life Less Ordinary is, but neither do I really care. Boyle has himself a fun little film here with enough quirkiness to keep it lively and interesting for an hour and 42 minutes.

Starring Ewan McGregor (Star Wars and Trainspotting) and one of my favourite actresses Cameron Diaz (Charlie's Angels, Gangs Of New York) I was really looking forward to this Danny Boyle picture, and I was very disappointed at the end.

McGregor plays a dim-witted, selfish, lazy former cleaner who is never fulfilling his purpose in life. He plays well alongside Diaz who is superb as always, playing a snobbish, helping, stunning elegant woman who is kidnapped by McGregor and the two form a questionable relationship.

The acting by both is great as always it's the story however which disappoints.

Its flat, unexciting and unfunny. The relationship between the characters is good and has a different perspective for a love relationship, unlike some cliché films such as Love Actually, this 1997 film goes for a different approach by combing two very different personalities to work together in difficult situations.

Only worth watching if you like corny story lines but the acting is great but be warned. It's predictable, the majority is unfunny and is completely stupid, it contains no element of realism which will make you question the whole story.

6/10

Silly, simplistic film. Characters uninteresting (no 'chemistry' between the protagonists) and plot feeble. Most reviewers seem to have been so overwhelmed by the good reputation of the director that they automatically considered this rubbish to be a good film.

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.)

I have to admit that for some time now I have been a bit of a fan of the work of Danny Boyle. As such, I'm made it a bit of a mission to take a look at as much of his back catalogue as I can whenever they are shown on TV. So this is how I came to watch this one. I have to say it's not the best film I've seen associated with his name, but it's passable. More of my thoughts after this very brief summary.

We start in heaven (where else), where two angels, O'Reilly and Jackson, are given their last chance to, let's say, facilitate a couple falling in love. It's a tough case; two people from very different backgrounds. First there's Robert Lewis who's a cleaner (& a writer in his spare time) who has just lost his job and been dumped by his girlfriend. Then there's Celine Naville a rich socialite whose father wants her to go to work for him. They are thrown together when Robert goes to see Celine's father to demand his job back and things go slightly wrong. He ends up kidnapping Celine and taking her to a cabin in the wilderness. He really doesn't have a clue and Celine ends up taking the lead; deciding she may as well try to get some money out of her father. Meanwhile, O'Reilly and Jackson are hired by Celine's father to find them. As you can see, it's getting a bit complicated already and we're only part-way through! I'll leave it there though or the Spoiler Police (confusing plots division) will have me kidnapped in amusing circumstances (again).

A well made film that has the beginnings many of the hallmarks of Boyle's latter works. Some interesting ideas thrown in, some that worked and some that didn't, but then I see it as a bit of a stepping stone for Boyle. Nice performances all round; Ewan McGregor did a decent job as Robert Lewis, although his haircut is pretty bizarre! Cameron Diaz did a great job as Celine; it's the kind of role she's pretty comfortable in. I thought both Holly Hunter as O'Reilly and Delroy Lindo as Jackson were excellent. Honourable mentions must also go to; Ian McNeice as Mayhew, Frank Kanig as Ted, Stanley Tucci as Elliot Zweikel, Tony Shalhoub as Al and Ian Holm as Naville (Celine's father).

Although I'm a fan of Danny Boyle's work, I'm afraid this one failed to hit the mark (for me). I found the plot far too over-complicated, almost like they were trying to fit far too many ideas in all at once. To me it would have been much more interesting to see the story from the point of view of O'Reilly and Jackson, but then I guess I'm not a screenwriter (yet). Yes, there were some nice touches, for instance, I loved the song and dance routine in the bar; very funny. Over all though, it's one I'll have to sit on the fence as far as recommendation goes; it's kind of in the middle there somewhere.

My score: 5.7/10

IMDb Score: 6.3/10 (based on 20,915 votes at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes 'Tomatometer' Score: 39/100 (based on 36 reviews counted at the time of going to press). Rotten Tomatoes 'Audience' Score: 56/100 (based on 52,726 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).

I just love watching movies where I do not expect excellence - and yet there it is. I was very happy with a Life Less Ordinary. It seemed to me to be unique, charming, fun and just a great way to spend some enjoyable time.

When a movie gets this enjoyable, I need to ask why. In my opinion in this movie its "casting" was exceptional. And of course one then has to credit directing that puts the cast at their best. Clearly Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz can both be characters. Well, this is a movie that puts them at their best, funniest and most charming. The director also brings out their unique features as an actor and actress that just makes the movie enjoyable.

The highlight of this kidnapping movie is also unexpected. It for me was the song and dance routine with Ewan and Cameron. They were great - fun and charming.

This is a movie that I will want to watch again and again.

I was very fortunate to see this film for the first time when I was about 13. I hadn't seen Trainspotting, so had no idea this had a build up to follow it.

For me, now, this film is so perfectly 90s, I keep listening to the soundtrack on Spotify and it's incredible.

This isn't one for film buffs, as - with most Danny Boyle films - there's a style over substance issue here that you need to overcome. If you're the kind of person who daydreams a lot but can suddenly get really sucked into a film with cool sets and an amazing soundtrack, this is for you.

Enjoy.

This movie was so bad it was difficult to believe. My girlfriend insisted on leaving the room when it was only halfway through. I managed to stay on to the end because I didn't think it was *that* bad, then I saw the end.

This movie has, without a doubt, the absolute worst ending I have ever seen in my life. The movie takes a sharp turn for the worse at the climactic moment, then shoots downhill at an alarming rate for the denouement. Just when I realized that this was as bad as I had ever seen, they started the claymation. That's right, claymation. I couldn't manage to tear my eyes away out of shock at the utter badness.

Ever since I saw this movie, I have been trying to get my girlfriend to watch the final scene, to reassure me that I didn't dream it up as a result of eating bad pizza. Unsurprisingly she refuses, leaving me questioning my own sanity.

If you are trapped in a room with this movie playing, wave your arms over your head and scream loudly. It's important to show the movie that you aren't afraid of it. Then run away.