Review of A Life Less Ordinary (1997) by Donna G — 03 May 2009

Bad to a point where it was almost unwatchable ... it actually was unwatchable, as I stopped watching after the first hour, and that's saying something because I just gave up right before the climax.

The acting by Diaz and McGregor was mediocre at best - and I'm being generous because I know they can do better. The other actors were just awful. The plot was completely nonsensical, and the dialogue felt like it was written by a 12 year-old.

The cinematography was also really bad, the scene transitions were confusing, there were many scenes that could have been cut, as they didn't further the plot or character in any way. The whole sub-plot, with the angels (or whatever they were - it was never made clear) was completely stupid, and made no sense.

The film could have been almost average if they weren't included. The characters were very one-dimensional - Diaz was the bitchy snob who had a hard life despite her wealth, McGregor was the loser, the father was the rich guy who neglected his daughter etc.

etc. There was no growth (or maybe there was, if the last 30 minutes was miraculously different than the rest of the film). I realize this film was released 12 years ago, but its not even good enough to be an average film of that time.

It would have been better for careers of both McGregor and Diaz if they were never associated with this film.