A Life Less Ordinary (1997)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Danny Boyle

Writer:

John Hodge (written by)

Release Date:

24 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Comedy | Crime | Fantasy

Tagline:

A comedy for anyone who's ever been in danger...of falling in love.

Plot:

Ewan McGregor stars as a cleaning man in L.A. who takes his boss's daughter hostage after being fired and replaced by a robot...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Tequila | Heaven | Destiny | God

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Ewan McGregor	...	Robert Lewis
Cameron Diaz	...	Celine Naville
Holly Hunter	...	O'Reilly
Delroy Lindo	...	Jackson
Dan Hedaya	...	Gabriel
Ian McNeice	...	Mayhew
Frank Kanig	...	Ted
Mel Winkler	...	Francis 'Frank' Naville
Stanley Tucci	...	Elliot Zweikel
Anne Cullimore Decker	...	Violet Eldred Gesteten
K.K. Dodds	...	Lily
Tony Shalhoub	...	Al
Christopher Gorham	...	Walt
Ian Holm	...	Naville
Maury Chaykin	...	Tod Johnson

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:R (certificate #35216) | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (w) | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:15 | Mexico:B | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

Ian Holm and Maury Chaykin also co-starred in The Sweet Hereafter (1997), in both movies they had only one scene together.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Robert is digging the grave, Jackson is talking to him, sitting on the ground with legs crossed. There is a cut to Jackson's back, and a few seconds later a front view shows him with legs out-stretched.

Quotes:

Celine: I'm not interested in you, or your novel, or any other pathetic ambition you have to change your miserable, mundane existence.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in One Step Beyond: The Making of 'Alien: Resurrection' (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

FULL THROTTLE

A difference of opinion.

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.