Nice little Fantasy

Author: jonathandoe_se7en
15 July 2001

After the success of Trainspotting (1995), British filmmaking trio, Danny Boyle, John Hodge & Andrew MacDonald made A Life less Ordinary. The film could not be a more different departure from their previous effort. A Life less Ordinary is a wild and sweat natured romantic fantasy, concerning our hero Robert (Ewan McGregor) and spoiled rich girl Celine (Cameron Diaz) and the two angels (Hunter & Lindo) who are given the task of getting them to fall in love. Boyle uses many great cinematic techniques to make the film seem even more fantastic, and Hodges writing is some of the funniest in a long time. Sadly the film does go off the rails somewhat in the last twenty minutes, but it's still an extremely entertaining film, full of bizarre characters and images that makes it one of the most enjoyable two hours you could spend watching a film.8/10

 McGregor and Diaz are real stars here

Author: Mike-DD from Singapore
24 August 2000

I'm a big fan of Cameron Diaz, and Ewan McGregor caught my attention after his riveting performance in Trainspotting. McGregor is the bumbling kidnapper and Diaz is the victim who seems to know more about kidnapping than he does. All this makes for a really funny comic act from the duo as they progress from kidnapper / victim to lovers, with the help of some angels who live in a seemingly hip heaven. The pace of the movie doesn't let up much, and you find yourself immersed totally as you wait for the ending, which, sadly, could have more of a cliffhanger effect than it has now.

Author: caroline-bjurstedt-1 from Sweden
17 July 2005

Finally, a romantic comedy that is original, intelligent and truly funny. Not to say unpredictable! Usually I dislike this genre, but i can't help loving this movie.The cast is great, and the chemistry between Cameron Diaz and Ewan McGregor is sparkling. (And McGregor even manages to look good in spite of a terrible hair cut. What a performance.) Holly Hunter is great as usual. Please also notice the appearance of Maurey Chakin as the somewhat odd neighbor. If you happen to recognize him, it could be from "My Cousin Vinny", where he plays the grit-eating witness.This movie has a smart and entertaining dialog and a number of unforgettable scenes and jokes. And it even brings out the romantic in an old cynic like me.

Finally, a love story that's not boring.

Author: squir1y from Stevens Point, Wisconsin
16 April 2000

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This was a great movie. It had some of the best acting I've seen in a while(especially McGregor). I really liked the soundtrack too. Especially the R.E.M song they played when they were captured.

The story goes like this, Robert(McGregor) kidnaps Celine(Diaz) who is the daughter of his former boss who just fired him. Two angels from heaven,(Lindo and Hunter) are sent out on a mission to make the two of them fall in love. It actually seems like Diaz and McGregor do make the perfect couple.I thought it was funny when the whacked out dentist operated on Ewan. His reaction was hilarious. If you want to see a movie that's seems so far from reality, check this one out. 

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6 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
 
Overlooked Gem!

Author: a-topping1 from Belfast, UK
16 April 2005

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This film simply does everything right! I stumbled upon it while looking for older Cameron Diaz movies, and have since tried to convert as many friends as possible to its genius! Its story is a slightly off-beat love story, whereby two Celestial Beings are sent down to Earth to unite man and woman in Holy Matromony, but that's not as easy as it might sound! What happens as a result is that Robert (McGregor) loses his job, home and girlfriend, in fairly quick succession, and so kidnaps his boss' daughter, Celine (Diaz). They, rather inevitably, grow closer, and realise that both want a life that is less ordinary than the one they are living.

There are moments that are a little strange and wouldn't make sense in the real world, but, this is movie world!! So try to overlook and accept them and you'll truly love this film! The cast have to be praised as well, as everyone of them shines, there's real chemistry from the two leads, and a really experienced performance from Diaz despite being so early on in her career. Holly Hunter is amazing in it, she really delivers a stand out performance, and Maury Chaykin as Mr Johnson, from up the hill, is hilarious! All in all this is a really excellent little film, that seems to have been undeservedly overlooked.