Review of A Life Less Ordinary (1997) by Karen D — 09 Jul 2010

3.6/10.

I honestly don't know what was going through Danny Boyle's head when he directed "A Life Less Ordinary". It doesn't feel like one of his unique, intoxicatingly intriguing films that I'm quite fond of, nor is it particularly good in any way. Sure, it's not horrible, but it's pretty bad all around. There exists no chemistry between McGregor and Diaz, due to the unbalanced combination of talent. McGregor does do slightly better than Diaz as an individual, but it's hard to like something as ridiculously muddled and silly as "A Life Less Ordinary". It's not completely unwatchable (due to some solid cinematography throughout), but the film gives the audience twists that nobody wants as well as fake emotion that only the most bland of action comedies can deliver. Danny Boyle is still a great director (when he puts some back into it), but "A Life Less Ordinary" lacks the rather "unordinary" appeal of some of the director's greatest works. So "A Life Less Ordinary" is sadly more ordinary than it wants to be, therefore making the name very unfitting. I see what the film wanted to do, but this bland, lifeless romance is neither funny nor tenderly emotional. I simply couldn't find myself getting any joy out of it. It's not really entertaining either, since there's more attempts at bleak romance than there is Danny Boyle. It's almost as if the guy didn't even direct it, but it went under his name anyways. It's simply surprising, due to the fact that "Trainspotting" was a solid start, and this is surprisingly not Boyle's first crack at cinematic wonder. Nearly every time he can get a winner. But not this time.

Romantic comedies combined with ridiculously un-stylized action sequences never work out. And even without the action they usually fail. Danny Boyle may have hoped for something new and different with the film, but as a result he created something fairly horrendous. "A Life Less Ordinary" simply isn't fun to watch. It is thoroughly predictable, and it's like any old romantic comedy. It brings nothing new or exciting to the genre. Nothing. So I suppose I should be getting to the plot, not that it matters. "A Life Less Ordinary" is essentially about two people who have nothing alike aside from the fact that they both want just that. So in ways, the title sums up the premise well enough. These two people meet fairly ironically, in the sense that the man of the couple kidnaps the lady (who just so happens to be a rich snob) but ultimately fails to get what he wants through the act. Wait. Let's backtrack just a little bit. So the film begins with a down-on-his-luck bar janitor named Robert. He is (surprise, surprise) fairly unhappy with his life, although things just get much worse when he is fired in able for a mere robot to take his place. Enraged, Robert confronts his boss, and attempts to get his job back. This fails, so he beats up the big boss and takes the man's daughter hostage. And essentially, that's the plot. Oh wait, but there's more! There are angels! There are gunfights! And then there's romance. The two unlikely people start to form a certain romance through time (since Robert's the biggest wimp I've possibly ever seen, and he didn't even kill the spoiled woman), although the lady (Celine) is almost completely ignorant of this. The point is that the plot carries out for too long. It's a potentially painful experience (considering it's just so darn boring) that brings nothing particularly new to cinema or Danny Boyle's filmography. It's just so damn forgettable. But maybe that's for the best.

There's absolutely no chemistry whatsoever between McGregor and Diaz. Cameron Diaz is simply horrible as her character. I don't favor her (nor do I completely despise her) as an actor to begin with. McGregor does the slightest bit better than Diaz, but his performance still couldn't be called believable. He's simply doing what he does in seemingly every movie; be the guy that he's not. Holly Hunter is completely pathetic, as is her partner in crime Delroy Lindo. Stanley Tucci isn't THAT bad, but he lacks a solid amount of good screen time. Ian Holm wasn't that bad either, but he was nearly as bland as every actor involved in this boring mess of a film.

I can't say I liked the style of "A Life Less Ordinary". It's not among the worst of romantic comedies, but it's definitely not among the best either. The film is supposed to be as funny as it is romantic, although it fails at being both. The humor is intended to be "dark comedy". What? Really? I didn't see anything "dark" about the comedy. It wasn't funny, awkward, etc. It just wasn't comedic. It was too ridiculous, maybe. But certainly not funny. As for the romance....well, you should know by now how well that worked out. With the failed chemistry and all, there might as well not be any chemistry. The film also attempts to have silly yet intently appealing action sequences, but these scenes aren't flamboyantly ridiculous enough to be fun or particularly good in any way or form. The action lacked heart, soul, or even energy. It was almost as if it was put in there just to keep the audience from falling asleep. I mean, with gunshots, who really can? Certainly not me. Now, the only truly good thing about this film was the cinematography, which had some pretty good moments. Perhaps not beautifully shot throughout, but at moments I noticed a hint of heart and true effort. Not as great of camera work as that in "28 Days Later", but still visually thrilling in some instances. The soundtrack can be faint (as in you can barely hear it) at moments, but the songs involved aren't half bad. Just not half good either, and sadly that hurts the film as well.

I adore Danny Boyle so much, but I find it hard to like what may be his worst film overall. It's not his style of filmmaking, and that's all you need to know. I found it to be annoying and completely formulaic, so if you've seen enough of bad romantic comedies, then please avoid this film. I expect that Danny Boyle fans (such as me) will be the people to be most likely disappointed by this film, since it matches the quality of a bad, made-for-television romantic dramedy. Perhaps this was indeed low budget, but I have none the less seen better out of both British directors and comedy films in general. Take my word for it. Aside from some good camera angles, this is a very poorly crafted film. It's worth the skip.