Despite solid, albeit constrained, performances from Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, Morgan Freeman and adolescent newcomer Becca Gardner, "An Unfinished Life" all too accurately lives up to its title. The film never realizes its dramatic potential, choosing to take predictable story paths with obvious characters. Indeed, the characters all but wear signs that sum up their essence: Bitter Old Cowboy, Abused Woman, Noble Wise Friend, Neglected Child. The story, for all its good intentions, never digs deep into their souls.
"An Unfinished Life", made by the usually reliable Lasse Hallstrom two years ago, is among many films caught up in Miramax's unfortunate change-of-business sale as the one-time indie darling is clearing its shelves in a troubling manner. The cast should mean a solid opening weekend, but without an enthusiastic marketing campaign, the film is not likely to dwell long in theaters.
In the end, even enthusiastic marketing probably won't save the stale story. For one thing, a traffic accident is a hard thing on which to hang a drama about nearly a lifetime's worth of regret, recrimination and sorrow. Lopez's Jean Gilkyson was driving a car that flipped over and killed her young husband many years earlier. Her father-in-law, Redford's Einar Gilkyson, still blames and detests her as if she were guilty of premeditated murder. Now the two are forced back together against their wishes.
Fleeing an abusive relationship with her boyfriend (a surly, two-dimensional Damian Lewis), Jean has little money and nowhere to go. So she shows up at Einar's gone-to-seed Wyoming ranch with his granddaughter, Griff (Gardner). The kicker is, she never told Einar he had a granddaughter.
The only person glad to see the two is Freeman's Mitch Bradley, Einar's hired hand and best friend for 40 years. He now needs a daily shot of morphine to keep going after being mauled by a grizzly bear. He is virtually the only person left in Einar's life following Einar's battle with the bottle.
The bear (Bart the Bear II) also shows up at the ranch, but Sheriff Crane Curtis (Josh Lucas) captures it before Einar can kill it. Strangely, Mitch insists that Einar feed the captive animal and later asks him to free it. So you get it? One forgives, the other doesn't. And boy, does that grizzly become one lumbering symbolic bear before the movie is done.
All plot developments are predictable. The granddaughter softens up the irascible cowboy. Jean hooks up with the handsome sheriff, but her daughter disapproves. Her boyfriend tracks her down and issues threats. Granddad gets to demonstrate that this young punk is no match for his aging macho. (He warms up by beating up a couple of drunks who harass Camryn Manheim's Nina in a coffee shop.)
The movie's best moments come in the older actors' interaction with young Gardner. The actors seem to genuinely relax in their scenes with her. Otherwise, the roles hem everyone in, forcing each to hit the same notes again and again.
Redford mumbles under his breath much of the time, playing the grumpy, mean old man to the hilt without ever suggesting what kind of a man he once was. On the other hand, Lopez could have used a dose of true grit as she looks too glamorous for her surroundings. Freeman, we now know, used this role to prepare for Scrap-Iron Dupris in "Million Dollar Baby". (At times, the Redford-Freeman old-codger quarrels echo those between Freeman and Clint Eastwood in "Baby".)
British Columbia substitutes nicely for Wyoming, as Oliver Stapleton's appreciative cinematography, David Gropman's Western design and Christopher Young's spare musical score luxuriate in those wide-open spaces.
AN UNFINISHED LIFE
Miramax Films
Miramax and Revolution Studios present in association with Initial Entertainment Group a Ladd Co. production
Credits:
Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Screenwriters: Mark Spragg, Virginia Korus Spragg
Producers: Leslie Holleran, Kellian Ladd, Alan Ladd Jr.
Executive producers: Joe Roth
Graham King, Mark Rydell, Matthew Rhodes, Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Michelle Raimo, Meryl Poster
Director of photography: Oliver Stapleton
Production designer: David Gropman
Music: Deborah Lurie
Costumes: Tish Monaghan
Editor: Andrew Mondshein
Cast:
Einar Gilkyson: Robert Redford
Jean: Jennifer Lopez
Mitch Bradley: Morgan Freeman
Crane: Josh Lucas
Nina: Camryn Manheim
Gary: Damian Lewis
Griff: Becca Gardner
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 108 minutes...
"An Unfinished Life", made by the usually reliable Lasse Hallstrom two years ago, is among many films caught up in Miramax's unfortunate change-of-business sale as the one-time indie darling is clearing its shelves in a troubling manner. The cast should mean a solid opening weekend, but without an enthusiastic marketing campaign, the film is not likely to dwell long in theaters.
In the end, even enthusiastic marketing probably won't save the stale story. For one thing, a traffic accident is a hard thing on which to hang a drama about nearly a lifetime's worth of regret, recrimination and sorrow. Lopez's Jean Gilkyson was driving a car that flipped over and killed her young husband many years earlier. Her father-in-law, Redford's Einar Gilkyson, still blames and detests her as if she were guilty of premeditated murder. Now the two are forced back together against their wishes.
Fleeing an abusive relationship with her boyfriend (a surly, two-dimensional Damian Lewis), Jean has little money and nowhere to go. So she shows up at Einar's gone-to-seed Wyoming ranch with his granddaughter, Griff (Gardner). The kicker is, she never told Einar he had a granddaughter.
The only person glad to see the two is Freeman's Mitch Bradley, Einar's hired hand and best friend for 40 years. He now needs a daily shot of morphine to keep going after being mauled by a grizzly bear. He is virtually the only person left in Einar's life following Einar's battle with the bottle.
The bear (Bart the Bear II) also shows up at the ranch, but Sheriff Crane Curtis (Josh Lucas) captures it before Einar can kill it. Strangely, Mitch insists that Einar feed the captive animal and later asks him to free it. So you get it? One forgives, the other doesn't. And boy, does that grizzly become one lumbering symbolic bear before the movie is done.
All plot developments are predictable. The granddaughter softens up the irascible cowboy. Jean hooks up with the handsome sheriff, but her daughter disapproves. Her boyfriend tracks her down and issues threats. Granddad gets to demonstrate that this young punk is no match for his aging macho. (He warms up by beating up a couple of drunks who harass Camryn Manheim's Nina in a coffee shop.)
The movie's best moments come in the older actors' interaction with young Gardner. The actors seem to genuinely relax in their scenes with her. Otherwise, the roles hem everyone in, forcing each to hit the same notes again and again.
Redford mumbles under his breath much of the time, playing the grumpy, mean old man to the hilt without ever suggesting what kind of a man he once was. On the other hand, Lopez could have used a dose of true grit as she looks too glamorous for her surroundings. Freeman, we now know, used this role to prepare for Scrap-Iron Dupris in "Million Dollar Baby". (At times, the Redford-Freeman old-codger quarrels echo those between Freeman and Clint Eastwood in "Baby".)
British Columbia substitutes nicely for Wyoming, as Oliver Stapleton's appreciative cinematography, David Gropman's Western design and Christopher Young's spare musical score luxuriate in those wide-open spaces.
AN UNFINISHED LIFE
Miramax Films
Miramax and Revolution Studios present in association with Initial Entertainment Group a Ladd Co. production
Credits:
Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Screenwriters: Mark Spragg, Virginia Korus Spragg
Producers: Leslie Holleran, Kellian Ladd, Alan Ladd Jr.
Executive producers: Joe Roth
Graham King, Mark Rydell, Matthew Rhodes, Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Michelle Raimo, Meryl Poster
Director of photography: Oliver Stapleton
Production designer: David Gropman
Music: Deborah Lurie
Costumes: Tish Monaghan
Editor: Andrew Mondshein
Cast:
Einar Gilkyson: Robert Redford
Jean: Jennifer Lopez
Mitch Bradley: Morgan Freeman
Crane: Josh Lucas
Nina: Camryn Manheim
Gary: Damian Lewis
Griff: Becca Gardner
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 108 minutes...
- 9/15/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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