A Life Less Ordinary

1997 "Did they fall in love or were they pushed?"
6.3| 1h43m| R| en| More Info
Released: 24 October 1997 Released
Producted By: Figment Films
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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A couple of angels, O'Reilly and Jackson, are sent to Earth to make sure that their next supervised love-connection succeeds. They follow Celine, a spoiled rich girl who has just accidentally shot a suitor and, due to a misunderstanding, is kidnapped by janitor Robert. Although Celine quickly frees herself, she stays with Robert for thrills. O'Reilly and Jackson pursue, hoping to unite the prospective lovers.

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Director

Danny Boyle

Production Companies

Figment Films

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A Life Less Ordinary Audience Reviews

Scanialara You won't be disappointed!
Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful
Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
Portia Hilton Blistering performances.
Andrea Compton This movie is one of those that seems like it has a million different genres! It seems like a dark comedy, then seems like an action film, then seems like a romance, and it is like that through the entire movie. It is 2016 and I have just watched it a couple weeks ago (it's a 1997 movie). I really like the two main actors Cameron Diaz and Ewan McGregor. Holly Hunter is usually good but her character annoyed the hell out of me in this movie. WARNING! SPOILERS!!!! I think this movie could have done without Jackson and O'Reilley, the two "angels" because it seems like it was just kind of thrown into the movie and it seemed out of place most of the time. The angels are supposed to help the two main characters fall in love to be able to get back to Heaven. But sometimes it seemed as if they were evil, and not angels at all. This could be due to the idea of this movie being a dark comedy type, but I thought it was odd and I did not like the characters of the angels at all. Overall, Cameron and Ewan were really good as their characters, if not a bit dramatic at points. Oh well.
bowmanblue A Life Less Ordinary was the next film in the highly-bankable combination of (director) Danny Boyle and (actor) Ewan McGregor. After the success of Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, it was thought that they could do no wrong. Sadly, A Life Less Ordinary was not half so well received.Critics accused it of simply missing the point and lacking direction. And, yes, I can see their point. However, that's not to say that it's all bad. It's about two angels, charged with the task of getting the most unlikely couple (spoilt rich girl Cameron Diaz and penniless writer and toilet cleaner, Ewan McGregor) to fall in love. What follows is a road movie involving kidnapping, quirky angels and robbery.Perhaps the problem is that it was marketed as a romantic comedy. Yes, it has both elements (mainly romance), but not much comedy. What replaces the traditional laughs is more a surreal atmosphere more akin to a Monty Python film in places.Personally, I liked it. Or rather most of it. There's not many people who seems to like all of it. I will admit that there were certain sub-plots that could have been left out.It's not that funny, but its uniqueness does give it some kudos. Plus Diaz and McGregor make a cute couple, so, if you're a fan of either of them, this should tick enough boxes for you.
kickingswearing I saw this film in theatres when it had just come out, much abuzz about both Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz. While not wholly disappointed by the film, I was left stunned. Two days prior to seeing this I had just watched on television Two of a Kind with John Travolta and Olivia Newton John. I had read reviews saying this was an original story(ALLO) and a breath of fresh air. This is not so, I urge you to read the summary for Two of a Kind(don't see the film unless you like 80's garbage films) and see if the 2 contrast(they don't). While I'm all for a well scripted and acted romantic comedy, don't profess originality unless you know it to be so. I am still a huge Danny Boyle(Sunsine one of my personal favourites) and Ewan McGregor(Renton all time anti-hero) fan, this film just helps to remind me that no one is ever perfect.
Theo Robertson Film4 are showing a retrospective season of Danny Boyle movies and this was my first chance to catch A LIFE LESS ORDINARY . I had thought previously THE BEACH was the big Boyle flop but that dubious accolade goes to this movie which has a woefully unfunny script which proves that if a film is good it's down to the director but if it's bad it's down to the screenwriter . 28 DAYS LATER is a rather derivative , contrived screenplay lacking in internal logic and Boyle rises far above it to construct a stylish post apocalyptic drama/horror movie . But it's easy to crank up the thrills and chills in a horror movie . With a comedy it's far more difficult because if the jokes aren't funny then the whole movie fails due to this It's not so much the jokes that are a failure , it's the whole screenplay by John Hodge . It's painfully underdeveloped and reminds you of other films that are slightly superior ones like the Charlie Sheen vehicle THE CHASE or infinitely superior ones like A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH . It's impossible to know why Hodge needed to introduce a fantasy element because the two angels could have easily have been mere mortals though perhaps that might have reminded the audience of the highly regarded Coen brothers . Ironically enough you're still reminded of the Coen brothers regardless and what good screenwriters they are . You're also reminded of those Osamond shows with their cheesy , predictable sketches contain painfully obvious punchlines . For example kidnapper and victim go in to phone box , kidnapper phones victim' s father and in a foul mouth rant describes what he's going to do with victim if he doesn't get the ransom , only to finish by saying " Oh sorry I must have dialled the wrong number " . It's not helped McGregor's natural inability to deliver a comic line and if anyone's laughing at this point they must have changed the channel Boyle is on record as saying that the film in hindsight was " A bit too zany " and it's why it led to its relative box office failure but it's failures are down to reasons I've outlined above . Boyle did make his name with the darkly comical SHALLOW GRAVE and TRAINSPOTTING so he probably wanted to let his creative hair down a bit with a broader comedy that would appeal to an American audience . It shows what a great director he is that both A LIFE LESS ORDINARY and THE BEACH were flops and he was destined for obscurity till 28 DAYS LATER came along