Life or Something Like It (2002) Online

`Life, or Something Like It' is a romantic comedy with a better-than-average premise. It attempts to address the question `if you suddenly discovered that you might only have a week more to live, how would you spend that remaining time and what changes would you make to your life?' Perhaps because this IS a romantic comedy, the best the film can manage to do within the tight strictures of the format is to raise a few of the more provocative issues surrounding the theme – those dealing with the meaning of life and the vagaries of fate, for example – then drop them so it can address itself to the customary clichés one would expect to find in a film of this genre. One only wonders how a more serious-minded European filmmaker, for instance, might have tackled the same subject matter.

Angelina Jolie plays a beautiful, but thoroughly superficial and self-absorbed TV news reporter living a near-perfect life in Seattle. Indeed, when we first meet her, Lanie Kerigan seems to have everything going for her: stunning good looks, a glamorous profession, a handsome major league ballplayer fiancé, and now a major career advancement in the form of a regular spot on a national morning news program. One day, however, her world comes crashing in when she meets up with a homeless man on the street, a self-styled `prophet of God' who tells Lanie that she will die within a week. When all his other predictions begin to come true, Lanie realizes that this man may not be quite the lunatic or charlatan all her friends and acquaintances keep assuring her he is.

Given this setup, `Life, or Something Like It' can't help but grab our attention. We wonder how we too would react if such a horrifying scenario were to suddenly present itself in our own lives. The problem is that the movie doesn't really do much with the material it has to work with. Nothing Lanie does seems particularly thoughtful or meaningful when she is confronted with potentially imminent death: indulging in some halfhearted attempts to reconcile herself with an estranged sister and father, giving up her health-obsessive diet and exercise regimen, and dumping the fiancé with whom she discovers she has nothing in common. Considering the thematic potential of this material, the film always seems to be lagging several intellectual beats behind where it should be. This is particularly true in the predictable love/hate relationship she shares with Pete, one of her cameraman coworkers. Yet, oddly enough, it is this very pairing of Jolie with Edward Burns that gives the film its moments of greatest charm. Both performers are so likeable in their understated warmth and vulnerability that we can't help liking and rooting for their two endearing characters. Paradoxically, then, the film satisfies us most when it is at its least innovative. The movie is at its worst in an embarrassingly unconvincing scene wherein a boozed-up Lanie, sans makeup and carefully groomed coiffure, leads a contingent of striking workers in a rendition of `Satisfaction' in the middle of a live TV interview. Cloying moments like these merely serve to remind us that we are stranded in movie fantasy land when the film could, with a little more effort, have ascended to a much higher level. (The film, incidentally, endorses a rather reactionary view of women in the workplace, arguing that a woman needs to consider whether achieving success in the corporate world is worth sacrificing a chance at achieving marital and familial happiness – a quandary that never seems to be posed to male characters in movies).

Despite the fact that it has moments of quality and charm, the film, ultimately, feels like a case of lost opportunity. One finds oneself leaving the theatre in a state of frustrating ambivalence: acknowledging that the film works on a level of superficial entertainment but knowing that, with a little more depth and insight, it could have amounted to so much more.

Life, or Something Like It. Dumb title if you ask me. Angelina Jolie as a blond? I don't think so. Ed Burns as the love interest? Sounds like a chick-flick or ‘something like it.' All this needed was Greg Kinnear and I think we'd have something like ‘Someone Like You', right? Well not exactly. Although this movie was obviously aimed at the female crowd and used just about every chick-flick cliché under the sun, there was more here than I expected. I found this movie very predictable for the most part but the characters are so engaging (especially Jolie's) that you find yourself getting wrapped up in them and the story that surrounds them. The thing that stood out for me where a couple of scenes that had the audience so quite you could have heard a pin drop. One was when Angelina Jolie's character asks her fiancé what it is between them that dictates they should be together. Utter silence. The theater, in anticipation of what lame answer is about to spew forth from her jock boyfriend, was silent. The other was when Angelina's character is interviewing Stockard Channing's. Again total silence from the crowd. Those two moments in the movie made it worth while for me. The rest is just as you would expect. I didn't find any above caliber performances here, just the really good ones you'd expect from this cast. You wont see this one on Oscar night but I thought it was worth the ticket price and it didn't feel like a waste of time. That's my take. What's yours?

I enjoyed this movie, thanks in large part to the fact that I saw it on FX channel, on their "DVD on TV" movie night, where those two hosts (can't remember their names...) give you supplementary facts and other commentary about the movie during the commercial breaks.

The story was actually fairly engrossing: Angelina Jolie's character (Lanie Kerrigan), who is a news reporter, is told by some strange street prophet, Jack (played by Tony Shaloub), that she will die in a week. The story unfolds as she proceeds to live her rather hectic, self-absorbed life interspersed with romance, a somewhat strained relationship with her father and sister, and the ever-present wonderment as to whether Jack the Prophet will be correct in his prophecy that Lanie will in fact die in a week. In other words, the movie does manage to keep you on the hook right up to the very end. (The ending was a bit lame, but still had a good message if you care to adjust yourself to it.)

Jolie's character, Lanie, is interesting, because if you watch the movie more than once, you will most likely start to be intrigued by her appearance: the platinum blonde hair, the puffy lips, the expressive eyes, the makeup.... you might start to think she resembles Marilyn Monroe, or, you may just write her off as a woman who actually looks a bit like an attractive transvestite(!). But no matter, because whether you like Angelina Jolie or not, you can't help but be a bit intrigued by the appearance of her character, which is kind of "out there" for Jolie. One potential problem, though, is that she is possibly TOO out there, to the point where she may distract the viewer from seeing the message of the movie

Tony Shaloub's character, Jack the Prophet, is very well portrayed by Mr. Shaloub. He's lovably wacko, and plus he has some pretty funny lines in spite of his plight in life. I like the Ed Burns character, Pete, because he reflects reality, whereas Jolie's character is kind of too unreal, but still fun to watch.

I liked the setting of the movie, Seattle, since I live in Seattle. For those of us who live in the rainy city, it's fun to see an interesting movie that takes place in our environs. They also used actual news people from a local Seattle TV station, so it was kind of fun to see people whom I've been seeing on the local nightly news actually appear in a Hollywood movie. They changed their real names, though, which was kind of weird.

There were a few things I didn't like about the movie, the main one being that Lanie, who works as a modern-day TV reporter, comes across to me as just way too much of a sex-pot, I mean just way outside the realm of reality. It gets to be jarring after awhile to see such a sexy creature being passed off as a news reporter when we all KNOW that no modern local news station would put such a pouty, platinum-haired blonde on the air (....or WOULD they??? as Conan O'Brien would say.) But mainly I liked the movie, and it was actually worth a repeat viewing, as it kind of grows on you, and ultimately makes you THINK about your own life, your own values, your personal destiny, etc. BTW, there's a pretty good batch of songs that accompanied the movie too, though I don't believe there is an actual soundtrack available, so you will probably have to hunt down each song individually.

All in all an interesting movie, with a message worth pondering - if you can get past the steady distraction of the appearance of Angelina Jolie, of course.

Well, that's my review. You guys have been a great audience, thanks for listening!

If it weren't for Angelina Jolie, I would've fell asleep through the whole damn movie. Jolie delivers another spirited performance, and she is an extremely beautiful woman with a smile to die for. But the movie is just dull, dull, dull. First of all, if the director wanted to make this a straight drama that's fine. Just don't market it as a COMEDY! If sentimental schmaltz with few or no laughs is your definition of comedy, then you're in for a treat. The director is Stephen Herek, who also directed the dull, forgettable Eddie Murphy vehicle "Holy Man." Like that movie, "Life..." is horribly uneven, taking a serious turn way too early in the film and never recovering. Despite extremely poor attempts, I'm pretty sure Herek intended this to be a comedy. Herek just has no sense of timing! And may I add, there are certain scenes in the previews that weren't used in the final cut--Why the hell do directors tease us like that?!!!!!! For example, there's supposed to be one scene where Jolie is on the set of a TV show and a light from the ceiling falls down, inches away from killing her. But there are no scenes where her life seems threatened. Instead, the movie gets preachy and sentimental about the subject of carpe diem and developing the all-too-predictable love affair between Jolie and Edward Burns. Like always, they start out hating each other's guts and about 20 minutes through the flick, they're practically soulmates. The character arcs are so quick and stilted.

I like Edward Burns, but he should definitely stick to independent film. I don't usually say this about directors, but he should stick to starring in his own movies. His writing is obviously much more creative than that of Hollywood screenwriters, who get paid 10 times as much as him. OK, he was fairly good in "15 Minutes" and quite good in "Saving Private Ryan," but he should try to steer clear of Hollywood.

Every scene is so dull and downbeat. Herek tries to redeem himself with pretentious fast-motion shots, identical to those of Madonna's "Ray of Light" video. If Jolie weren't the star, this film would be dead in the water. And Tony Shalhoub deserves better as well. I'm not surprised to see him in a corny flick, but he is an underrated comic actor and I loved him on "Wings."

Jolie decided she would take a break from movies after done with "Tomb Raider." Why, oh why, did she change her mind and star in this ultimately forgettable pseduo romantic comedy? She should've saved the blonde hair for a much better movie.

My score: 4 (out of 10)

If one is asked to sit through 99 minutes of a film that ponders, "Living every day as if it were your last," then the film should at least deliver a fresh prospective on this overdone topic. If it fails to do that, perhaps a character that the audience would care about is in order. Life Or Something Like It fails to do both.

Lanie Kerrigan (Angelina Jolie) is a local Seattle news reporter who is being considered for posh job in New York, for "AM USA." She must first prove herself in the field by working with Pete, an experienced cameraman (Edward Burns) whom she supposedly hates. When the ambitious reporter interviews a homeless prophet, he announces that the blonde reporter will die within a week. Once all of his other predictions come true, Jolie's character begins to realize that she is in fact going to die. As Thursday (D-day) quickly approaches, the reporter re-evaluates her own life.

The premise of the film is a little interesting at first. Sure, it has been done over and over again, but various interpretations have their own charm and there is room for more. However the development of the plot is just too obvious and there is nothing new, nor is anything portrayed in a very intriguing way.

While Life was marketed as a light comedy, it is anything but. Comedy would have been a much better direction for the filmmakers, however aside from a few jokes on the sidelines, the film takes itself very seriously. The tone of the script is confused. It's similar to A Knight's Tale which also tried to hopelessly shift between drama and comic relief. In the end, we end up with a picture that doesn't work as a drama or a comedy. Throughout the film, it feels as though the filmmakers kept changing their minds.

Unfortunately the confusion is not the only self-destructive component in the movie. The character development also does the job fairly well. Jolie shows Lanie's ambition sufficiently, but the movie suggests that there is more wrong with her life than a little healthy competition. It seems ridiculous that a person whose real tough faults we haven't seen is trying to change her ways. The movie seems to artificially pull Lanie into changing, instead of using character development as cause for such an evolution. Lanie changes at the end, but the question, "why?" remains. Pete's relationship with Lanie also seems forced. Pete flashes randomly throughout the movie, cueing Lanie's unfolding.

Edward Burns carries his role well enough, but unfortunately there isn't much to carry. Angelina Jolie just doesn't seem to fit into this role and while she is a talented actress, there is something very odd about her in Life. In fact, Tony Shalhoub is the only actor who remotely stands out in this movie. Although his dialogue follows the same scripted fate as the others, Shalhoub manages to express with his voice and facial expression much more than the script actually inhibits.

The script doesn't allow the audience to care much for any of the characters, doesn't contain a single original idea and tends to push ideas aggressively instead of allowing the audience to discover them. The script also leaves off various unresolved mysteries, most of which only seem to act as space fillers. The filmmakers take us towards one direction and back off immediately afterwards. Maybe they forgot? Considering the pacing, most of the audience did too.

Life Or Something Like It is comparable to one scene where Lanie's soon to be ex-boyfriend, Cal, takes Lanie to a ballpark in the middle of the night to throw a few pitches after a heart-to-heart talk. Lanie expects Cal to have some words of wisdom for her, or at least charm - but doesn't catch anything except the ball. Life Or Something Like It won't change your life and it won't change your mood either.

If you need to kill time, see the movie - But what if today is the last day of your life?

Grade: D

I don't know why people have given this movie bad reviews - I really enjoyed it! I don't think the product placement was at all bad... who cares??? Those are things we all use everyday anyway, right? The movie was absolutely wonderful and all of the actors played a great role. The only thing I didn't like was Angelina's hair - she does NOT do blonde very well. Other than that, she did a wonderful job with her character, Lanie - who feels she has to be perfect in order to be "special", she has the perfect boyfriend (or so she thinks), the perfect body, the perfect apartment, and hopes within 5 years she can achieve success in her perfect broadcasting job. Until she meets "Prophet Jack" played by Tony Shaloub (who also does a wonderful job - as usual) who tells her she will die in 7 days. She starts to realize everything she has been working for is superficial and meaningless. You have to see this movie to see what she does in her last week --- & IF she even dies. Two Thumbs way, way up! ;)

LIFE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT has a premise of reporter Lanie Kerrigan being told by a homeless man that she's going to die in a few days from now and right away I was expecting some bitter-sweet angst , a sort of present day morality tale inspired by Frank Capra and I guess very early in production this was the idea but I was left confused . Is it a redemption tale ? If so then why does Lanie start out as a not unlikable person and remain a not unlikable person throughout the movie ? You see there's little in the way of character development and the situations and soul searching never seem to draw the audience into Lanie's fears . None of this is helped Stephen Herek's shallow direction either

In short this is a shallow film but while being confused as to what it's trying to say it's also fairly watchable too . Angelina Jolie is breath takingly beautiful and in many ways she's like a female Leonardo Dicaprio in that her good looks disguise she's a much better actress than critics give her credit for and imagine how worse the movie would be if her role was taken by say Sandra Bulloch while Dave Newman's haunting score also helps the movie greatly

I wouldn't watch this movie.

I gotta start off by saying that I'm still not sure if Jolie's character was a brunette or a blonde naturally. All the "young Jolie" pictures show her blonde (I thought) but she's obviously not a natural blonde.

Honestly, when I leave a movie that's supposed to make me re-evaluate my life and what it means to live (like American Beauty did) and the only thing I can think about is the hair color of the star I think the movie failed. Sure, it wasn't too hard to watch and it worked out well as a Saturday afternoon hang-out w/ the lady-friend flick, but w/ Jolie I was really hoping this movie would fulfill its promise and be the engaging, interesting, thought-provoking film that it could be. Instead we see very strong similarities to American Beauty w/ a little "To Die For" thrown in for good measure and a helpin' heapin' of a John Cusack film (doesn't really matter which)

What really bugs me about this film though is that I really thought the cast was great. They were so believable (well, except for Jolie's hair, which really is a character in its own right) and their performances were so strong that as I look back on the film I really don't understand where it went wrong...maybe it tried to hard at the end, maybe all the logic fell apart just to bring about the thrilling climax, maybe it felt too much like a parody of tv news to also be the love story/life lesson that it also sought to be. Sure parodies can have morals and realistic love stories but this one doesn't.

I wouldn't avoid this film, but I wouldn't seek it out either.

I don't understand why some people trash this movie so viciously. It really isn't much different from all the other romantic comedies that come out. I enjoy the main actors - Jolie, Burns, and Shaloub - and each does a fine job with the roles they play.

In the flashback intro we see that Lanie (Angelina Jolie) was a cute little girl but with thick frame glasses so the boys tended to ignore her. So she focused her energy into an ambition to rise to the top in broadcasting. She is one of several candidates for a NYC job, and a chance to move out of small-time Seattle TV.

She is required to work with cameraman Pete (Ed Burns), an old boyfriend who still shows an interest. Together they encounter Prophet Jack (Tony Shaloub) who stands on a plastic milk crate on the busy sidewalk and makes proclamations. That day he predicted the score of a game, that it would hail the next morning, and that Lanie would die in 7 days.

Lanie is shocked when the first prediction comes true, then further afraid when it is hailing the next morning. Not wanting the death prediction to come true, she tries hard to prove that not all Prophet Jack's predictions come true. But he says they do, he just hears the message and repeats it.

MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW. Lanie and Pete get close again, then he is devastated when she is picked for the NYC job and she just plans to leave him in Seattle. While there, and doing a very successful interview with popular journalist Deborah Connors (Stockard Channing), she comes to realize the folly of her selfish dream, and a little bit of her dies that day, 7 days after the prediction. So, while she didn't physically die, the ugly part of her died.

Nothing like real life! Fancy directorial touches--and Angelina Jolie looking sexy in a Marilyn Monroe platinum 'do--cannot save innocuous, superficial film about a TV news-anchor being told she will die in a week by a street psychic with an impeccable record. Romantic side-plot between Jolie and cameraman Ed Burns never heats up, although Jolie is quite an intriguing presence all on her own (her performance is generally uneven, but her beautiful face is always worth reading). Has a few strong scenes, and an interesting supporting performance from Stockard Channing as a Barbara Walters-type, however the script doesn't dig very deep. **1/2 from ****

A reporter, Lanie Kerrigan, interviews a psychic homeless man (Shalhoub) for a fluff piece about a football game's score. Instead, he tells her that her life has no meaning, and is going to end in just a few days.

The moral of this story has been told ever single time from "It's a Wonderful Life", to "Last Holiday", even to "Click". Each of these movies have always won me over because I love moral stories and I certainly love this movie!

Sure, you've seen this so many times before. Sure, it's filled with clichéd, Sure, it's predictable what's going to happen before it happens. But it's a feel good movie. It puts a smile on your face when it ends. Don't go on the movie too hard.

I loved the performance by Angelina Jolie. The supporting characters give us some laughs along the way, although the film isn't too funny but more like a drama. I like the score for the film. I liked the film a lot but not as much as I thought it would be. Still, it was a pretty good film if you like moral movies. "Live everyday like it will be your last."

"Life or Something Like It" is a romantic comedy that wants to be a drama about reevaluating one's life circumstances. It was a movie with a lot of very good actors in it, particularly Angelina Jolie, Ed Burns, and Tony Shaloub. However, in the end, it wasn't as original as it could have been, and its message is far from unique. If I had a nickel for every time a movie used the hackneyed phrase, "Live life to its fullest", I would probably never have to shell out my last ten dollars to see a movie at the movie theater again. For those reasons, the movie was really just okay to me; not great.

Angelina Jolie stars as Lanie Kerrigan, a young ambitious TV reporter who is already well-recognized and credible in her local Seattle network affiliate. Her ambition is to be a reporter on the "Today Show"-like network morning news show "AM USA". When she gets the opportunity to audition for the show, a street psychic (the great Tony Shaloub) "prophesizes" her death effective seven days from the day she asked.

Admittedly, it is nice to see Jolie in a role that doesn't involve her being a tough-as-nails action hero or a sex kitten. Also, she had some good parts in this movie that were a bit heartfelt, such as when she reflects on her rebellious childhood, or reconnects with her blue-collar father. However, as good an actress as Jolie truly is, my guess is that she must not have done much research for her role. Why? Because she is completely unconvincing as a TV reporter. When asking questions (particularly in her last interview), she practically whispered her questions, which is something TV reporters (at least good ones) should not and do not do. Jolie probably should have studied Katie Couric or Meredith Viera, and she wouldn't even have to leave her trailer to do it either.

Her romance with Ed Burns' character was also really hokey, not to mention predictable. He's a good looking guy, and they fight constantly in the beginning of the movie. Such a setup is so overdone (even dating as far back as Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing") and so unoriginal that I was not surprised at all when their romantic scene came up. It surprised me too, because Burns is not only one of the more likable lead actors in the history of romantic comedies, but he has also starred in, written, and directed some of the most original romantic comedies ever ("The Brothers McMullan", "She's The One"). Burns is still likable in his role, but this romantic subplot is so cliché that it really ruins the film.

The plot involving Jolie trying to deny or avoid death was also completely unbelievable, particularly towards the end. First, without ruining anything, Jolie's character realization of her fate in the very end seemed a bit contrived given her circumstances. Second, I didn't really get involved with her character enough to care if she died in the end. I guess the character wasn't developed enough, or the plot was too flimsy and archaic. I can't decide which.

This movie was certainly not terrible, and it had its moments. For the most part, though, there were too many scenes in this movie that went beyond the laws of common sense that it was just too unbelievable. Other scenes, if not unbelievable, were just too predictable. If the movie had decided to just be a movie about a successful woman's pre-midlife crisis based on false prophecy, and not a romantic comedy in "Deep Thoughts" clothing, it probably would have gone on to more accolades. Instead, it's just marginally good. I can't give it a stronger recommendation than that.

Well, first of all, I don't know why in the world people would give bad reviews to this movie. Someone doesn't like Angelina Jolie? Well, she actually did a pretty good job in this movie, although I won't even comment on the blonde hair. Let's just say that brown is her look, that's all. As for the movie, the story is great. The story is amazing, a skeptical journalist, anchor woman gets a warning of some sort, a prophecy from a random homeless guy and then tries to prove him wrong for the whole week that's left for her to live. Those who plan to or already have made their careers the only thing they know will relate to this movie like no one else. I actually admire Lanie for both of the lives she lead: the career woman and then a family gal with a career that, let's face it, much smaller than the one she would've gotten in New York, but still amazing. It pretty much took her a death to live through to throw out the highest peak of a journalist possible that she was offered in NY. And then again, it's impossible to live such a life without any regrets for all the things lost because of that career, and so she chose happiness over a dream. Kinda shows an example of when you really, really want something and then when you get it - it's not as sweet anymore. You realize that wasn't the thing that would make you happy at all. Ahh, that's why I absolutely love this movie and will continue on making my career my life, until something better comes along, and then to fully appreciate it I'll throw everything I ever dreamed of becoming away...and live every day, as if it were my last one. Gosh, if we only got to know the future. If only our plans turned out to become true without any heavy sacrifices.

Rating 7. I just rented this film on DVD because I figured that with a Jolie / Burns duo how could it be that bad. Just as I suspected, it's not that bad, not an instant classic but, not thaaat bad, not as bad as other critics make it sound. It was a cute film that could be lauded just for the attempt to inpire, many films these days don't even attempt inspiration let alone deliver it. This film was well written, well acted, well directed. Many "film" critics didn't like this film. They are probably just jealous because that haven't ever written and sold and seen made anything ever, and they can't stand that Burns an accomplished writer gets to make out with Jolie. Yes this is a fluffy feel good movie, and in many areas implausible but it by no means sucks. I think the critics of this movie have been watching too much "reality TV", suspend your disbelief a little (ok maybe a lot) and this film and it's not so bad.

This is a good film to recommend to your parents who live in Florida.

A successful reporter of Seattle is advised by a homeless prophet that she has only seven days of life. While reevaluating her professional and sentimental life, she finds love. I found the premise of this movie very promising: What could you do if you know that you have just seven days of life? Unfortunately the execution was awful! The story is totally corny and shallow: Lanie Kerrigan seems to be very happy and proud with her career, pursuing a dream of working in a network. Life is made of choices, but the way the story is told, it seems that work and love are events exclusives and not possible to happen simultaneously. Further, the lead characters Lanie and Pete do not have any chemistry and they fall for each other too much easy for my taste. The semblance of the blonde Angeline Jolie is horrible. Last but not the least, the situation in Lanie's family, especially with her sister, is not well explained. I really did not like this movie. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Uma Vida em Sete Dias" ("A Life in Seven Days")

It is not a bad movie, but then again it is not a good one. Clichés and unreal situations spoil what would have otherwise been an easy going "what if I changed my life" movie.

Angelina Jolie is a news reporter that wants to hit it in life. She then is put in a situation where she realizes that her perfectly built life is meaningless and that she need a good man and happiness instead of good money and unhappiness (suposedly).

What made the difference between boringly average and this slightly better average rating is Tony Shaloub.

Conclusion: if you are watching the movie to see if she dies, yes, she does. Stop wasting time. If you are watching it to see if she lives, then yes, she also lives. How come? It's the Hollywood way. It is also not terribly romantic, while the feelings you 'should' feel are created via soundtrack than via script.

This is a fun film, and is headed toward a logical surprise ending that I have to think someone somewhere forced a new ending on it. This is not really a spoiler, because it didn't end this way, but here's the way it should have ended:

They make such a big deal through the whole film about Lanie's fake blond hair, and when she is told she is going to die and discovers more about her real self, she starts primping and washing it less. Near the end she has discovered how to be happy with her real self, except that she still has the threat of death hanging over her head. The logical conclusion of the film is that she dyes her hair to bring it back to her natural color. She fulfils the prophecy ("In three days you will die/dye") and becomes a fuller, more real person. Instead they have a cop-out ending.

The film presents a dilemma for the main character, Lanie. Does she believe the homeless "oracle", who does predictions, or does she keep her career locally? What's an ambitious blonde girl to do? Does she change hair spray brand at this point, or does she go for a total make over? Decisions, decisions, decisions.

When she is confronted with her impending death, one would think Lanie would cling to Pete and her ordinary life in Seattle. But no, this girl wants her 15 minutes worth of fame, and she gets it!

This film doesn't make much sense at all. Angelina Jolie usually plays more intense characters than this one dimensional bimbo. Tony Shalhoub and Stockard Channing's decision to appear in this silly thing will better be explained to their analysts.

The basic theme of movie is something with which u can pull people to theaters. But the end was not impressive at all. It looked like writer was in some hurry to finish the things. There was no climax, no anti-climax, nothing whatsoever. It finished like the old grandmother's told stories. Everyone was happy in the end without much effort.

Please tell me, what was the main aim of the story. Only to get the tears out of THAT celebrity (i don't remember the name).

I was very much inspired by that Idea of a gypsy telling someone that he wont be alive in next few days. No one believes it in the start but after sometimes some other predictions of his prove to be true and then a state of panic for Angelina Jolie starts. Very good uptill this point. Good that she discovered her real innerself due to this sequence of incidents but I didn't like what happened after that. It kinda looked too straight-forward.

Here's another movie where if you've seen the preview, you've pretty much seen the movie. All of the major plot twists are revealed and leave no surprises. The only thing not told is the ending, which is pretty predictable in itself. The opening scene tries to throw the viewer a curveball by showing Jolie on a gurney, apparently dying. Any intelligent viewer should know that she is not actually going to be killed off.

Angelina Jolie ("Tomb Raider") is charming in this film, but cannot hold it up completely. It might come off as "uplifting" and "inspirational" to a younger or more impressionable viewer, but just comes off as contrived and silly to anyone who can see through it. Not to say that this movie is unwatchable. It's actually kind of fun, just not very smart. There were plenty of laughs and the characters are interesting enough to keep you (for the most part) interested. Edward Burns ("Sidewalks of New York") and Tony Shalhoub ("13 Ghosts") give solid performances, although Burns is beginning to look a little one-sided.

Director Stephen Herek ("Rock Star") keeps the film at a fairly brisk hour and forty minutes, but somehow it seems that there were plenty of scenes that could've been taken out and replaced with ones that would fill the plot holes. I suppose inconsistency could be expected from the writer of "Joe Somebody" (John Scott Shepherd), though. The viewer is supposed to suspend disbelief on this one and not take it too seriously. The message is the main point, but "live life to the fullest" isn't necessarily something that needs repeating.

This one would serve as a good rental or a mindless and safe date movie. Other than that, don't expect a challenging or exceptional film here. Check out the trailer first. What you see is exactly what you'll get. Skip it if you've seen enough.

So the plot is thin, the characters not entirely likable, and some scenes knuckle-bitingly awkward when you know they're trying to be cute. Some of the dialogue is pretty good, and most of the acting if superb.

But what I really want to talk about is Seattle. In a world where my hometown is turned into a shallow replacement for New York, or just stereotyped to DEATH (see - Fraiser, Sleepless In Seattle, The Ring etc) it's nice to see a film that actually gives a crap about the city.

Holy doo-doo pants! Is that KOMO 4 News?! Okay, so they made one of the Os and Q, but those are the faces I watched every Saturday before the morning 'toons.

We see all kinds of places in Seattle that aren't international landmarks - Leschi Elementary School, Alki Beach, the Downtown Transit Station, the Queen Anne Easy Street Records, giving the viewer a realistic representation of the simultaneously snooty and gritty City of the Sound.

There are no slip-ups of speech. No one says anything about Lake "CHELL-un" (Chelan is pronounced "sha-LAN", Fraiser!) nor is the Sound ever accidentally referred to as a bay.

So basically what I'm saying is that if you want a movie that took its time to understand the character of the city it was taking place in, this is it. And avoid The Ring at ALL COSTS!

This film had a little bit of everything all rolled into one story and it was entertaining. Angelina Jolie,(Lanie Kerrigan) was a news reporter and gets involved with a homeless man that she interviews and this man predicts without any hesitation on his part, that Lanie is going to die on a Thursday, a week away. There are other details about the weather conditions and most of his predictions seem to come true. Lanie has lots of trouble getting along with her camera man on the job and they fight like cats and dogs. Lanie is looking for a better position in the TV industry and has her goals set very high, and at the same time wants to meet Mr. Right. There are very cute romantic scenes and Lanie has great conversations with her girl friends. However, Lanie begins to look at herself as a person other people see and she starts looking in other directions. Nice entertaining film.

LIFE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT

STARRING: ANGELINA JOLIE, EDWARD BURNS, STOCKARD CHANNING, AND CHRISTIAN KANE

"Life or Something Like it," is a comedy-romance movie. This time of film is not the kind a lot of people would see Actress Angelina Jolie be in. Since this is her first time in a comedy, though, a lot of people would put her down. I put her highly, though. In my opinion, she did an excellent job.

Angelina plays Lanie Kerigan, a local Seattle news-reporter, who meets a lonely profit in the streets, and he tells her she is going to die in one week. After she watches as his other predictions come true, she starts to live her life as fun as possible and do all the things she never did before. Tell all the people all the things she was afraid to say.

I think Angelina gave an excellent performance, and also did Stockard Channing. Even though she was on screen for a couple of minutes, she was one of the best parts in the film. Edward Burns was another great character in the film. He played the Lanie's Cameraman, Pete, who she doesn't like, but ends up in love with him near the end.

I have to say, my favorite part in the whole movie was when Lanie was drunk, and interviewed people on strike. They told her they didn't get any satisfaction, so she started to sing "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones, and everybody else joins in. It was the best part.

I Give this film **** stars out of *****.

It is not top notch but this film should definitely be given more credit. it tries to remind us, yes, yet again (but I think no matter how many reminders we get, we still don't get it,) that we should live our life as if each day was our last because one of them will eventually be the last nd also that we should hurry to say our dear ones that we love them indeed. Lanie is a woman representing the typical ugly duckling insecure type turned into a beautiful career shark. She lives with the illusion of a perfect life, with a seemingly perfect career and a perfect boyfriend until the prophet foretells her imminent death. she sets about to change the texture of her life, discovering how empty her life really was and rediscovering her true self, dropping the quest for self-approval which dominated her whole life.

The actors did a great job. I didn't see Angelina Jolie in such a role before but I must say she handled it with talent. Her acting very much added to the emotional part of the story. Ed Burns did a nice job too, although I had the impression that by the time the movie ending he got slightly weary. also, the music choice was really great.

Overall, the story balances between humour and drama, and while it does have its dose of typical elements, it presents the events technically very nicely. There is a sense of completeness to this thoughtful story. Plus it carries a meaning which cannot be stressed enough. Does your life have meaning?

A very good job indeed!

I like that movie: for the story, not so original but always working, for the hair of Angelina Jolie (she should stay that way), for the photography, and the way it is framed. However, in line with some comments, it's the type ofmovie where American producers and directors are not at ease, or notskilled to make (sorry for them). It would have been at the top, made by a Claude Lellouch, Bertrand Tavernier, Patrice Leconte, or even Begnino Begnini (as a real comedy) Angelina is credible as an egocentric ambitious but hollow young lady. Her boyfriend, Cal, is up to the task. Pete could have been more convincing, but I give a high grade to the "prophet". I retain the quotation "live every day as if it is your last day, because one day it will be" - Who said that? It remains a pleasant, but at times, dull movie.