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Life or Something Like It
September 30, 2002 - Mike Restaino, DVDFile.com
Oh, Angelina. As you go through these all-too-public trials with your dad and (ex?) husband Billy Bob, I wish there was something more I could do to ease your pain and ensure your future emotional well being. Instead, I have the dubious task of reviewing your latest big- screen effort now making its way to DVD, Life or Something Like It. Now don't worry - like most other American critics, I didn't hate the movie - but fellow Angelina fans know that you're capable of much more than this. Maybe the writing wasn't up to par, maybe the atmosphere during the shoot just wasn't conducive enough to enable you to reach the extraordinary depths you have in the past the material, or whatever. But this film just falls flat.

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Trust me, Angie - can I call you Angie? - it's not your fault. Even underneath that ridiculous Marilyn wig, you have a screen charisma to be reckoned with. You're beautiful, sassy, demure, and surprisingly human screen presence both in spite of and because you possess such otherworldly supermodel qualities. With your most renowned, well-received work - Girl, Interrupted (even if it's a few years late, congrats on that Oscar, baby!), or Gia - you were able to confidently take charge, but also subvert that popcorn gloss with a delicate shade of vulnerability.

But you and Edward Burns? That doesn't work very well. Sure, his sardonic sense of humor seems slightly in tune with your way of doing business, but there's a lack of chemistry: While it's no one's fault (scratch that, it's Edward's, isn't it, Angie?) there's no heat, no electricity. And the overheated story of you learning the true meaning of life? Yikes. Once a street philosopher (Tony Shalhoub) tells you you're going to die, it doesn't help make for much in the way of nice, pleasant romantic comedy fodder. Miss Jolie, you have so much potential that pedestrian story structures like this just hold you back!

Long story short, Angelina, your fans are going to support you, even with subpar material like Life or Something Like It. It is hardly stellar filmmaking, and only you give it any small sense of purpose to make it bearable. I can't deny that there's a part of me that wishes you'd take more gutsy roles, but your other fans and I are here for you. So good luck with your personal problems, I hope things work out. I don't know that I can use my space here to actually recommend your movie, but I tell you what, I encourage our readers to at least give it a rental. How does that sound? Just please don't make any more like it. DVDFile.com Photo

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, this looks just...okay. The film is expansive and often full of pleasant, picaresque landscapes, but blacks could have been more solid and contrast is just fair. We also don't get the best in terms of color reproduction, as hues could have been just a bit brighter and more lush, which is this transfer's main drawback. Detail ends up being standard at best, but at least there is little edge enhancement and no compression artifacts to worry about. Still, just fair.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The 5.1 Dolby surround mix included here is nice, if not particularly impressive. Dynamic range is surprisingly limited, with little in the way of real low or high end and a flat performance from the .1 LFE. Stereo separation across the front soundstage is nicely done, and dialogue - so essential to a romantic comedy like this - isn't overrun by all the blatant pop songs and loud music cues. Surround use is fairly good, offering at least some sense of envelopment in more active outdoor scenes. Perhaps above average for a "comedy" mix, but hardly stellar. DVDFile.com Photo

Also included are French and Spanish 2.0 Dolby surround dubs, English and Spanish soundtracks, and English Closed Captions.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Perhaps to make room for the pan & scan version provided on the flipside of the disc, our sole extra here is a screen-specific audio commentary with director Stephen Herek. He's very well-spoken and has many interesting perspectives on various aspects of the film, but overall the commentary is spread a little thin. Kinda bland, kind of run-on, and to much dead space. Not bad, but where's Angelina?

Oddly, there are no trailers or any other goodies at all. Hmmph!

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts

Life or Something Like It isn't as bad as you may have heard, but it isn't all that great, either. The Seattle locations are beautiful, and our lady Angelina has quite a few nice screen moments, but it's hard to recommend this one to anyone other than the most forgiving Jolie fans (especially at its relatively steep $27.95 list price). But I promised Angelina I'd say it's at least worth a rental...


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