Far From Ordinary
But Still Lifeless

When I saw the previews for A Life Less Ordinary I expected a quirky Tarantino-esque romance. I predicted a cross between The Sure Thing and Wisdom, a road movie wherein a criminal would fall in love for his hostage. Imagine my surprise when the movie began with something more Capra-esque -- straight out of It's A Wonderful Life.

A Life Less Ordinary begins with a view of Heaven, a busy white-on-white police station wherein angels run around in their daily routines. Two angels (played by Delroy Lindo and Holly Hunter) are assigned to help two people fall in love in an increasingly loveless world.

Despite the angels, the movie has an interesting start. Robert (Ewan McGregor) is a janitor and would-be writer who has lost his job, his girl, and the bulk of his material possessions. Robert vows revenge on the company's owner, Mr. Naville (Ian Holm), for firing him. Celine (Cameron Diaz) is Naville's spoiled daughter, whose love of dangerous thrills has landed her in her father's bad graces. Even as she is being told she must get a job, Robert breaks into Naville's office and demands his job back. His threats seem hollow until he grabs a security guard's gun and accidently shoots Naville in the leg. When he finds out Celine is the man's daughter, he kidnaps her and makes his getaway.

The story follows Robert as he tries to accommodate his new hostage in their country hideout. His inability to control her is evident from the beginning. Having been kidnapped once before in her youth, Celine sarcastically dismisses his amateur kidnapping techniques and decides to help him in order to extort a large sum of money from her father. While they work on their extortion plans, the unlikely pair begin to fall in love.

Soon the angels begin to intervene. They have come to Naville as bounty hunters, promising the return of his daughter and the death of the young punk who kidnapped her. The resulting interventions from the angels turn what could be a gritty story of passion into an often silly movie. They come back time after time trying to force Robert and Celine together, as if love is something which can be manipulated. In the end, though, the angels do more harm than good, hindering an otherwise good love story.

The majority of A Life Less Ordinary is good. In fact, some bits are absolutely inspired. There is an excellent song and dance number in the local country bar near Robert and Celine's hideout. The surreal, dream-like quality of the scene typifies the charm of the movie. In the last third of the script, however, the movie runs out of steam and starts to become almost boring. Still, it is hardly predictable, and it is that one element which allows this movie to stand out. Still, for my money I'd rather have seen a more satisfying ending.

The performances by McGregor and Diaz, while never of an award-winning calibre, are adequate for their roles. Lindo makes an excellent play as a desperate angel, but Hunter's performance is lackluster and almost annoying. (Truth told, I haven't cared for any Holly Hunter performance.) There are two small roles played by Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub and these bit parts add some much needed weight to the otherwise cardboard characters.

One more note, be sure to stay through the closing credits to see the claymation ending. It's quite good, and a cute little ending to an altogether unusual movie.

MY RATING: 4 out of 10.

RATED: R
RUN TIME: 99 min.