User reviews

Jean Gilkyson (Jennifer Lopez) is on the run with her daughter Griff (Becca Gardner) from her abusive boyfriend Gary Winston (Damian Lewis). She has no where else to turn to except for her estranged former father-in-law Einar Gilkyson (Robert Redford) who still blames her for the death of his son. Einar is taking care of injured Mitch Bradley (Morgan Freeman) from a bear attack. Both Einar and Mitch must come to terms with the past. Crane Curtis (Josh Lucas) is the sheriff in town who falls for Jean.

I don't know what happened to the distribution but I certainly don't remember this movie being released. It's got Redford and Freeman. That alone should have been noteworthy. I get why some people dismiss Lopez but she does a really good job in this one. She's a good actress in the right project. This is an emotionally deep movie with great subtle performances from everybody to match. Director Lasse Hallström isn't bringing any flash to this and it can seem slow for some. Redford is just outstanding and his performance deserves to be rewarded.

In order to escape from the abusive boy-friend Gary Winston (Damian Lewis), Jean Gilkyson (Jennifer Lopez) moves with her young daughter Griff Gilkyson (Becca Gardner) without previous notice to the ranch of her father-in-law Einar Gilkyson (Robert Redford) in Wyoming. Jean and Einar are disaffected, since he blames her for the death of his beloved son in a car accident. Einar is taking care of his friend Mitch Bradley (Morgan Freeman), who was attacked and seriously wounded by a bear, and he does not know that he has a grand-daughter. While Mitch heals his wounds and forgives the bear, Einar also changes his feelings regarding Jean, finally understanding that accidents happen and accepting her and loving his grand-daughter.

"An Unfinished Life" is a beautiful tale of forgiveness, with the lead characters healing their wounds – Mitch, the ones provoked by a savage bear, and Einar his innermost feelings of loss. The cast has amazing performances, showing the importance of a director of the weight of Lasse Halltröm: Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman are unanimity, but I myself like a lot the versatile Jennifer Lopez and strongly believe that even the viewer that dislike her as actress must admit her excellent performance in this touching film. Josh Lucas is a great support actor and the favorable surprise is the performance of the young and unknown Becca Gardner. Although being a predictable story without any twist, this sensitive movie is highly recommended. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Um Lugar para Recomeçar" ("A Place to Restart")

This is the third film from the director that I saw after Chocolat n Cider Ho...I would not call this one a great piece of storytelling but I speak entirely for myself when I say, the characters do not let you go, while you watch this movie. And that is something. Each character and player when he/she is on screen is telling you so many things at a time that you get completely engrossed in their story.

Jennifer Lopez plays a single mother running away from her abusive(typical) boy friend Damian Lewis and has no where to go but to her Father-in-law who hates her. Father-in-law is of course Robert Redford who is not looking forward to anything in life, and his only real purpose in living seems to be to take care of his wounded friend Morgan Freeman. There is Bear which wounded Freeman and is the terror element in the otherwise peaceful Wyoming (smashing locales) town and there is Josh Lucas the love interest/sheriff for Jenny's Cinderella. There is débutant Becca Gardner the even-tempered daughter of Jenny's. Camrein Maynheim (The Practice) has a supporting role. And there I finish the list of principal characters in the movie.

Now why I am taking pains to mention each one of them is because they are who make this movie watchable. Especially Freeman,Gardner and Redford (in that order). Not that others do a bad job. But these three provide all the entertainment. None of the characters are living in what we would call normal circumstances in any way. At the same time there is nothing new about the story they are telling. It is just the way they go about telling it. Unhurriedly, through gestures and expressions, breathing life into these stereotypes. There is redemption for everyone involved and that is expected. But the story manages to teach you something, and not in a very persuasive manner. That is the redeeming feature of the movie and may be that is the flaw. It will fail to influence too many, some might even find it boring. But I guess that is Okay because for the few viewers who like an optimistic story told with compassionate characters played by expert actors, this one is worth watching.

An Unfinished Life may be the sweetest movie you'll see this year, and certainly the most beautiful. Take yourself to the theater, then look forward to the DVD.

We are treated to watch Robert Redford play a perfect curmudgeon, crusty, craggy, a rancher named Einar Gilkyson, in his 60's who has a lot to do every day. His first duty is to take care of his best friend and long time cowboy buddy, Mitch Bradley, played by Morgan Freeman. Then he gets to milk the cows. Their friendship carries the film through the ups and downs of life, with Mitch as the guiding light to Einar's disgruntled reality.

Unable to pull her own life together, Einar's daughter-in-law arrives with Einar's granddaugther in tow, needing a temporary place to stay. Jennifer Lopez plays Jean, and her daughter, Giff, is well played by Becca Gardner. The daughter-in-law is immediately rejected by Einar, still feeling the loss of his son and blaming her for it. They stay any way, and the story develops their lives as the four of them work out their differences while living on the ranch in a stunningly beautiful valley. Josh Lucas plays the local sheriff, a handsome man that reminds one of the younger Robert Redford. He gives spark to Lopezs character while being a complete gentleman.

An Unfinished Life brings a man and a bear together to acknowledge each others strengths, and brings an unhappy, bitter man to realize that he still has an amazing family right in front of him. Appreciation and forgiveness, along with some adversity, show us that unity is still possible even given previous misunderstandings and alienation's.

Every one in the film does a good job, and you feel like you have just visited the ranch and had dinner with these characters, and you want to go back for breakfast. The relationships in this film are realistic and intelligent, not sappy nor Hollywood glossy.

This is a wonderful film and it is a great delight to watch Redford, Freeman, Lopez, Lucas and Gardner play their parts in such gorgeous scenery. There is plenty of humor in the film, and an honest look at how we work out our emotional dilemmas and hang ups and eventually bring out the best in ourselves, often by being around someone else's best.

You will feel bested yourself, for watching this fine film. Compliments especially to Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman, a dynamic duo. They are a perfect compliment to each other, and their maturity is a great bonus to the film.

It is hard to understand what Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom saw in the script for "An Unfinished Life, 2005). Owner of a positive career, of films such as My dog life (Mitt liv som hund, 1985), The Cider House Rules, 1999) and Arrivals and departures, 2001), the filmmaker makes a beautiful stumble in his most recent work, which addresses in a superficial and simplistic way one of the favorite themes of the dramas: the family's relationship with the loss. The secret to understanding what goes on in the minds of the characters in "An Unfinished Life" does not lie in observing their actions or even their conversations, but rather their looks and, mainly, their silences. Dominated by essentially introspective individuals, the film devotes great attention to the way in which they try to hide their feelings - and even when they speak out about something or someone, it is perfectly possible (even often) that they are saying something that they do not really mean.

Centered on the troubled relationship between rancher Einar Gilkyson (Redford) and his daughter-in-law Jean (Lopez), the script written by the couple Mark and Virginia Spragg wastes no time in introducing us to the characters before confronting them: already ten minutes into the projection, Jean is forced to flee from her boyfriend who beats her and, with nowhere else to take her 11-year-old daughter Griff (Becca Gardner), she decides to ask her father-in-law for shelter, who blames her for his son's death in a car accident. 12 years earlier. However, when he discovers that he has a granddaughter (Jean had left town after the funeral), Einar decides to allow them to stay at his ranch and, little by little, he becomes close to the girl. Meanwhile, his old assistant Mitch (Freeman), who was disfigured by a bear about a year ago, must deal with the aftermath of the attack and the return of the animal, imprisoned in a small zoo nearby.

In the first moments, the spectator with the minimum of experience perceives what is to come. The plot is predictable and some scenes are even perfect re-enactments of clichés related to the genre. The pace of the film, however, is quite pleasant and the story does not fall into a tiring pace, which could be a negative factor. Director Lasse Hallstrom seems to show once again that he has the timing of the drama, as we could already see in some of his previous films. Investing only in a few sketches of subplots, "An Unfinished Life" is aware of narrating a predictable story and does not seek to reinvent the wheel: we know that Einar will eventually let himself be enchanted by his granddaughter, we know that he will reach some kind of understanding with his daughter-in-law , we know that Jean's violent boyfriend will appear at some point to generate some kind of conflict, we know that Mitch will serve as an advisor to the former boss (also because he is played by Morgan Freeman, a specialist in these roles), and so on. Thus, the Spragg couple try - without much success - to add one or another element that generates tension throughout the projection: will the two drunks attacked by Einar try to take revenge? Will the bear return to "finish" the job he started a year ago?

In fact, none of these matters much: the script always does better when it observes incidents that, while not "cinematic", are shocking enough for its characters: when Griff is forced to give Mitch an injection, for example, this becomes relevant not because it involves action or suspense, but because we know how traumatizing something like that can be for a kid that age. Unfortunately, the screenwriters don't show a lot of confidence in themselves, often resorting to features that they consider potentially more "dramatic". The presence of the bear in "An Unfinished Life" should not be intended to generate tension, but rather to serve the metaphor in which the film itself tries so hard to invest and which, despite being obvious, is sufficiently well established to exert its influence. Narrative purpose: seeing that violent and unpredictable bear subdued and locked in a small cell is as sad a spectacle as witnessing the efforts of the other characters so that their feelings never surface. For Einar, Jean, Griff and Mitch, the cage they live in is the world itself - and when the latter asks his friend to release the animal that attacked him, he is saying, in his own way, to let go of his hurts and resentments, freeing out of a self-imposed emotional prison and back among the living.

The plot premise is reasonable, but the script development disappoints. It is a festival of obvious metaphors, of familiar situations. If you've ever seen a drama in your life, you'll guess without any effort the entire unfolding of the film. As there are no surprises, it is difficult to relate to the film, to fear for the fate of its characters. There is, however, the pleasure of watching Robert Redford perform. He embraces Einar in such a way that there is no way to ignore him. Without the slightest effort to hide his age: disheveled, with a permanent beard and a habit of muttering to himself, Einar is a bitter man who believes he has been wronged by life - not realizing that, right beside him, the old friend Mitch may have much more tangible reasons for complaining and for blaming someone else for his accident, but never doing so. On the other hand, he passes like one of the rancher's tractors over his fellow protagonist, Jennifer Lopez.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez proves to be much more efficient as an actress when she plays a secondary character ("Shaw We Dance"), giving Jean a dramatic dimension through her fragile voice and the vulnerability she shows in front of her ex-boyfriend. However, the big reveal here is the young Becca Gardner, who transforms Griff into a real girl, escaping the irritating stereotype of the "precocious child" and transforming her into a reserved and sad girl who was obviously affected by all the acts of violence that has been compelled to testify over the years. It's an economical performance that never fails to ring true. Really good are the scenes between Einar and Mitch, especially the one involving Griff and a brief discussion about gay cowboys. But they are good for one reason only. They are very reminiscent of the relationship between the characters of Freeman and Clint Eastwood in the exceptional "Million Dollar Baby (2004)". In fact, Mitch is a true carbon copy of Eddie, a character that Freeman lived in the film that won him the Oscar for supporting the previous year.

Mitch is the type of role Freeman is best known and most rewarded for. He does this with advice (for example, be nice to Griff, which Einar rejects and then absorbs in spite of himself) and with descriptions of his night dreams, each a valuable lesson wrapped in figurative imagery - he dreams of the sea (he "Tastes like a woman") and who can fly, so high that he can see the meaning of life ("From up there you could see everything that exists, and it seemed that there was a reason for everything"). For all its attention to decaying landscapes and independence, cowboys and allegiances, the film is more singularly melodramatic than adventurous.

The unfinished life in the original title at first seems to refer to Einar's dead son. Then we realize that death has put Einar, Jean, Mitch and Griff on hold. Until they deal with it, they can't get on with things. The way they handle it isn't original, but it's sincere and the actors are convincing. The solution involving the bear was interesting, even more so after seeing "Grizzly Man" and remembering Werner Herzog's haunting narration: A bear's "blank stare", he says, does not reveal wisdom, but "only half-bored interest in the food." While it is reasonable for bears to want to be free, it may not be reasonable for humans to want to live near free bears.

Mitch's physical scars are no different than Einer's and Jean's emotional ones, making Mitch's compassionate interest in the bear that nearly killed him an act of progressive forgiveness that will eventually be passed on to the spiteful Einer, who blames Jean for his son's death. While this sensitive male coming-of-age plot at least offers the still-dominant Redford an opportunity to work out his routine in the field, Jean's escape from victimization - functioning primarily as a device to give the increasingly sensitive Einer a means of showing his protective affection for her and her daughter - simply proves that enough apparently wasn't simplistic battered women nonsense.

Packed by a beautiful soundtrack composed by Deborah Lurie and photographed with the usual talent by Oliver Stapleton (regular collaborator of director Lasse Hallstrom), An Unfinished Life does not deviate much from the type of production that the Swedish filmmaker has been commanding in recent years: supposedly intimate melodramas that often veer into the water with sugar. Incidentally, even Einar's character shares obvious elements with the characters played by Michael Caine and Juliette Binoche in The Cider House Rules and Chocolate, respectively, bringing introspection and a lonely air as the fruits of past tragedies. In the end, Hallstrom's film is nothing groundbreaking or extraordinary. It's just a beautiful story of forgiveness and starting over.

Some films are able to capture subtleties in a pretty straightforward manner, and this is one of them. With the very capable support of Morgan Freeman, a quite good Jennifer Lopez, and masterful work by Robert Redford, we're treated to a special film, a study of family relationships where things don't appear contrived or staged.

People carry grudges and live with demons for many years; some are unable to even get rid of them. That's the case of Redford's character. Without a way to release himself, he has managed to create a pretty miserable existence for himself. The only redeeming moment arising from the relationship with his best friend.

Things are bound to change with the arrival of his daughter-in-law and the granddaughter he never knew existed. The drama unfolds quite nicely and our hearts are touched along the way. It's a quiet movie, full of lovely vistas and some intense drama. It doesn't pack the punch of "Million Dollar Baby", a film which it's bound to recall because of the Freeman's character dynamics. Give yourself a treat and enjoy Redford in the comeback film of his career.

There are a great many families who don't treat well the idea of losing a special someone. A few hide their simmering anger, blaming everyone for their sorrow. Others wallow in self pity, while still others mired themselves in a perpetual sea of regrets, recriminations and unyielding memories. Such is the life of Einar Gilkyson. (Robert Redford.) His life is a solitary one as he goes about his ranch, tending horses, cattle and his best friend Mitch Bradley (Morgan Freeman)who blames no one for his unfortunate encounter with a Grizzly Bear, which left him an invalid. Into his lonely existence arrives his Daughter-in-law Jean Gilkyson (Jennifer Lopez) who escaped a frightening existence as an abuse wife with a volatile ex-boyfriend, searching for her. Together they must face the memories they both feel has put their lives on hold. With supporting stars like Damian Lewis, as Gary Winston, Josh Lucas as Crane Curtis and Camryn Manheim, the film explores the troubles existence of people who have not completed the lives they left behind. All in all, a good family in need of repair, living in a land quite capable of forgiving even the most troubled spirits or raging bears. ***

This is a well done movie and I do believe if more people would go see it they would agree. Its a great family relationship movie and Redford as usual is great he can underplay his role and get more out of it than some actors and his relationship with Morgan Freeman is so typical of two old guys tolerating each other. The young girl however steals the movie from her adult counterparts and brings a warmth to her part not seen that often anymore. Jennifer Lopez is good but she is outshone by the others who slowly build up a good family togetherness. Of course then there is a bear thrown into the middle and "Bart" of course is good as he has been in other movies he has been in.

Directed by Lasse Hallstrom, "An Unfinished Life" stars Robert Redford as Einar Gilkyson, a Wyoming rancher. Einar's drunkenness led to his buddy, Mitch Bradley (Morgan Freeman), being mauled by a giant bear. Einar refuses to forgive himself. Mitch forgives both Einar and the bear.

Issues of "mercy" and "forgiveness" extend throughout Hallstrom's film. Einar's daughter-in-law, Jean Gilkyson (Jennifer Lopez), is held in contempt by Einar; he blames her for his son's death. But when Einar forgives Jean's daughter (Becca Gardner) for her involvement in an accident, it spurs him to forgive Jean herself. "I think the dead forgive us our sins," Mitch says, his gentle wisdom inspiring Hallstrom's cast to let go of their hate.

Despite a creaky performance by Lopez, "An Unfinished Life" features gorgeous location photography, palpable atmosphere and likable performances by Freeman and Redford, who play a couple of cantankerous old men. Young Becca Gardener steals the show.

7.9/10 - See "The Yellow Handkerchief", "Flesh and Bone" (1993) and "Everything Must Go".

I was shocked that any movie with Jennifer Lopez in it could actually be good. I usually think she's awful in movies. But, in this, she's OK. Not the best actor in it. That goes to Morgan Freeman, then Robert Redford, then Becca Gardner. This movie is about dealing with tragedy and family. Lopez plays Jean, an abused girlfriend who goes home to stay with her father-in-law, Einer. Einer still blames her for his son's death. He's bitter and has run everyone out of his life except Mitch, who continued to help on the ranch. He's shocked to find out he has a granddaughter. He agrees to let them stay but isn't too nice to either of them. Mitch is disabled after being mauled by a bear, another thing Einer feels guilty about because he was too drunk to help Mitch get a way from the bear.

Jean gets a job and takes up with the sheriff. Einer eventually takes Griff under his wing and shows her the chores to do on the ranch. Jean's ex shows up and has a nasty confrontation with Einer.

Bart the Bear even his a significant role. At the start, the bear gets caught. It's the same bear that mauled Mitch. But, Mitch doesn't want to see the bear caged and gets Eirner to set him free, which almost turns disastrous.

The scenery is beautiful. It was a neat story, that seemed original. And the director didn't let J-LO ruin it.

FINAL VERDICT: I recommend this. It's a good story, good acting, great landscape. Don't let the fact that it stars J-LO run you off. She was OK, and Freeman and Redford were great.

If you've seen 'Enough', you know that Jennifer Lopez doesn't always have good judgement about men. In An Unfinished Life, she flees from an abusive boyfriend and seeks refuge at her father-in-law's ranch in Wyoming. She and Pops don't get along, because he blames her for his son's death and she's never told him he has a granddaughter. But with enough time and the truth, they might be able to reconcile.

Robert Redford is the father-in-law, and he's completely at home in his natural habitat. It's always great to see him surrounded by the nature he loves. In the film, he's caring for his friend Morgan Freeman, who's recovering from a bear attack. The scenes with the famous Bart the Bear are pretty remarkable, but be sure and reassure the kiddies in the audience that Bart is a trained bear.

I liked this family drama; it wasn't too heavy to make it depressing, and it wasn't corny or riddled with comic-relief jokes. For those who like second chances, you've got three plot lines to enjoy: the family drama between Jenny and Bob, a little romance between Jenny and Josh Lucas, and Morgan's journey to recover from and forgive the bear.

Some have described this as basically a remake of Heidi. Robert Redford has given up on life and spends his time taking care of his ranch hand, played by Morgan Freeman, who was attacked by a grizzly. That right there is enough for me to spend two hours watching a film. Redford and freeman have not disappointed me in the past and i do not expect to ever see a film by them that is not worth watching.

Now, add in the fact that we have Jennifer Lopez playing Redford's daughter-in-law, and the person he blames for the death of his son, showing up on his doorstep with his granddaughter, and you can expect some real sparks to fly and a Lifetime movie to result. Redford, Freeman, & Lopez - Just WHAT do you want from a movie? Grab some popcorn and enjoy.

If you're in the mood for some light, heart warming entertainment then this movie may well satisfy. I really enjoyed it. The story takes place on a small ranch in Wyoming and centres around the tensions between a man and his daughter in law, both of whom are grieving for the son and husband they lost in a car accident many years before.

The appeal of the movie is partly in the beautiful setting and good script, but it mostly lies with the well drawn characters. The plot moves slowly giving you time to get to know the personalities and to understand the tensions between them. Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez are both terrific in the main roles, and Morgan Freeman shows great pathos in a supporting role as Redford's friend. However, it's Becca Gardner, as Redford's grand daughter, who steals the show. She has some of the best lines, but more than that, she drives the story. Whilst everyone around her is lamenting the loss of the life they believe they should have had, she's busy exploring the new one she's found herself in, and it's her presence - and her outlook - that compels them to reassess their lives.

Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, and eye candy, J. Lo., along with a delightful young new comer Becca Gardener and a believable story, and you have an honest to goodness story of real people dealing with real life.

Many will see it as a soap opera.

As you look back at the projects Redford has been involved with, you see continuity. He likes to look into the lives of "ordinary people" living simple normal lives. No cheap tricks here. Just an honest story.

Jean Gilkyson, (J. Lo) the young, widowed and down and out of luck daughter-in-law of Einar Gilkyson (Redford) is a battered woman in Iowa. She and her 11 year old daughter Griff escape her abusive boy friend (Lewis) from Iowa and manage to reach the dumpy Wyoming ranch of her once father-in-law. No love is lost between the two as he blames her for the untimely death of his son. (No Spoilers here!) Predictably, there is conflict and drama between the two. Add in the wonderful supporting act of Morgan Freeman as the ailing ranch hand living in a nearby cabin, a bit of romance between J. Lo. and the local sheriff, the appearance, disappearance and reappearance of the abusive boyfriend from Iowa along with the absolutely delightful performance of Becca Gardner whose eyes will mesmerize you and, "Bart the Bear" and you have well spent time and money.

-Enjoy

Films that deal with grief, especially of a parent, tend to go a little bit heavy to the gut, and they are supposed to, since as I assume you are aware, their purpose is to convey the de-facto message: Live goes on.

And this is not exception. The message is the same, the location different.

An Unfinished Life takes advantage of signature acting of its main characters (Redford = rugged but kind, Freeman = Wise but cripple, Lopez = Slutty but righteous) and carries a predictable, non-challenging plot about a father loosing his son in an accident and having problems forgiving those involved in it.

As any good mourning movie, it has the usual confrontation between the suffering and the culprit, the talking at the grave, the frozen in time dead son room, the help-me-get-thru-this drinking, everything. So you may ask how they could make this movie a little bit more original…

With a bear, of course.

Bringing a refreshing balance to the film and distracting you from seeing the actors doing their thing like in auto-pilot, the bear takes over the roll of being the metaphorical incarnation of the real meaning of forgiveness, for all of them, and that, my friend, makes this movie worth watching.

The magnificence of this beautiful animal and its role as a device for forgiveness are two details that transform this otherwise flat drama into a refreshing alternative to sappy grieving films.

As I write this review, I think of why I actually decided to see this movie. I came to the realization that it was to see Robert Redford, and Morgan Freeman - two top-notch, class actors. That said, along with the fact that I'm not a very big fan of Jennifer Lopez's, I thought the presence of Redford, and Freeman would be enough to enjoy this movie. I was wrong, not that either Redford, or Freeman's performances were nothing less than excellent, but the job done by Becca Gardner was especially wonderful. In fact, in my opinion, she stole the show. Gardner's portrayal of the Griff Gilkyson character was a special one indeed. And yes I must admit, I even enjoyed Jennifer Lopez in this movie. All in all, a very solid movie that I enjoyed so much. And the best part, it was NOT a remake.. thankfully !!

robert redford is such a great actor. but someone point out any movie where jennifer lopez was in any danger of being nominated for an academy award! this was terrible and a formula movie that i only watched because of my respect for redford. jennifer lopez is a terrible actress. hell, even calling her an actress is an insult to all actors. there is fame, and there is talent. talent's shadow has never fallen on miss lopez. she should go back to bad singing. and with all due respect mr redford, read the script first and do not sign onto any more badly written movies like this. you are better than this badly written, formula trash... did this movie even have a writer? a 1 rating is too kind.

With an unconventional cast like Redford, Freeman and Lopez, one would expect an interesting movie. And that is what 'An Unfinished Life'is. Though I must say that some may find it boring as it doesn't have any flashy special effects or daredevil action stunts. We get a beautiful glimpse of Wyoming state (or was it Canada?) and we are presented with a simple but relevant story.

To me, 'An Unfinished Life'is about forgiveness and one who doesn't forgive will always live a life unfinished or incomplete. We are presented with many such characters who hold a grudge, either against themselves or against someone else: Einer against himself and Jean, Jean against herself, Mitch against the bear. All these characters learn to forgive themselves and see the brighter side of their lives and their world.

Starting with the best performance, Morgan Freeman is superb as always. I don't think further explanation is necessary. Lopez is brilliant. After a long time (since 'Out of Sight'?) she does a fine acting job. Redford is good and Manheim shines in a brief role. Gardner is terrific and much less annoying than other child actors. Lewis is a typical bad-guy woman beater. Hallstrom's direction is getting better. He coherently tells us the story.

'An Unfinished Life' has heart and it tells a simple story in a beautiful fashion.