Upon being fired, a desperate guy kidnaps a daughter of his former boss. Two angels are sent to Earth to check if love is possible in this case.Upon being fired, a desperate guy kidnaps a daughter of his former boss. Two angels are sent to Earth to check if love is possible in this case.Upon being fired, a desperate guy kidnaps a daughter of his former boss. Two angels are sent to Earth to check if love is possible in this case.
- Awards
- 1 win & 3 nominations
- Karaoke Cowboy
- (as Robert Kellogg)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThough most of his scene was cut from the movie, Timothy Olyphant (Hiker) later said he was hugely inspired by watching Holly Hunter work and the creative choices she made. He said his experience on his first few roles up to that point had been relatively uninspiring, but seeing how focused Hunter was made him want to keep working. A Life Less Ordinary is, in fact, only Olyphant's second feature film role, the first having been in The First Wives Club (1996).
- GoofsWhen O'Relly is paying off the hiker/car-jacker, she says "Here's $40." She hands him six bills. The top three are 20s (one of which you can see the bottom of the bill if not its digit in the corner), the next is a 10, then a 5 and on the bottom another 10. $85 in total.
- Quotes
Celine: So you're telling me that successful relationships... are made in heaven? Notfounded on the daily practicality... of two people being prepared... to tolerate the imperfections of one another?
Robert: It's not successful relationships, Celine. It's love. And it comes from a strange and wonderful place... that we don't know about.
Celine: So you also reject the idea... that love is merely an emotional adaptation... to a physical necessity?
Robert: Completely.
Celine: Are you serious?
Robert: Fate intervenes in people's lives. In ours, for instance. Fate brought us together. It kept us together. We were destined for one another.
Celine: Fate had a pretty strange way of making its point.
Robert: But that's part of the beauty of it. It's inexplicable, unpredictable... and absolutely beyond control or understanding.
Celine: But you nearly got killed.
Robert: But I didn't... and here we are.
Celine: Do you have any substantial evidence to back all this?
Robert: None at all.
Celine: And you realize that it's absurd and irrational?
Robert: I know that.
Celine: Then why do you believe it?
Robert: Because, Celine, I'm a dreamer.
Celine: Well, I guess that makes two of us.
Robert: Are you ready?
Celine: As I'll ever be.
Robert: Then let's go.
- Crazy creditsWhen the preciding footage ends, it's followed by claymation animation containing the principal characters of the film engaged in further adventures.
- SoundtracksI Hear a Symphony
Written by Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland
Published by Jobete Music Co. Inc., EMI Music Publishing Ltd.
Performed by Diana Ross and The Supremes
Courtesy of Motown Record Company, L.P.
By Arrangement with PolyGram Film and TV Licensing
Following up Trainspotting was never going to be an easy task - but at least they could have at least got near the quality of that film! In what feels like it wanted to be deliberately quirky, the plot involves angels controlling fate to bring two young people together in love. If it developed this idea in a structured and enjoyable manner then everything would have been fine, however as it is it is all over the place and doesn't really make much in the way of sense. Instead it feels more like a wildly out of control collection of stylish ideas.
In terms of narrative it barely hangs together and it creates a problem when it requires us to care for the characters and be part of their romance (as in, care about it). It is very appropriate that the end credits features a cartoon of sorts for that is fitting for the level of development that is in the central tale. The action is silly but not to the point where it gains the imaginative quirkiness of, say, the Coen brothers. Instead it is hard to penetrate the film and get involved with it, the action is daft and illogical, the laughs are rare and the characters are more like cartoon characters than people. It could have worked - but it doesn't.
The cast is good on paper, but the lack of material lets them down. McGregor came to fame through Boyle, but he gets done no favours here; he does stand out as someone who tries hard to make the material work, but he can't manage it. Diaz is good as well but again it's the material given to her that is the problem. The support cast is better simply because their lack of character and development isn't a problem; Lindo is good even if Hunter doesn't really fit in; although Holm and Hedaya have OK little cameos.
Overall this has energy but it doesn't really hang together in a way that works. It has touches of imagination and style but mostly it drowns in a sea of quirkiness lacking substance. It's a shame that such a talented cast and crew didn't have something better to work with - quirkiness for quirkiness' sake is not enough here.
- bob the moo
- Feb 6, 2004
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $12,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $4,366,722
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $2,007,279
- Oct 26, 1997
- Gross worldwide
- $4,366,722
- Runtime1 hour 43 minutes
- Sound mix
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