Watching 'Life or Something Like It' at a test screening in New York, more than two weeks before its official release, I had never heard of the movie until I received the movie passes. I noticed that commercials were aired the day after I saw the movie... and that the commercials and the trailer were quite appealing and enticing.

First off, I must say that this is not the kind of movie for people seeking adrenaline-rushing action. It's a lighter, more sensitive movie, but NOT to the point where it's only suitable for teenage girls. The movie would be great for people on a date - it's too 'neutral', if you get what I mean, to offend either the guy or the girl.

The plot goes somewhat like this... Lanie Kerrigan, played by Angelina Jolie, is an aspiring newscaster / journalist / reporter in Seattle. While doing an interview with "Prophet Jack", a homeless man who predicts the future because he believes he can hear God's voice. He predicts that the Seattle Seahawks will beat the undefeated Broncos, it will hail the following day, and that Lanie will "die next Thursday." After blowing off Prophet Jack, Lanie witnesses Jack's first two premonitions come true... and begins to reflect upon her life and the week and a half she believes she has to live.

The casting for this movie was quite well done. Angelina Jolie, playing the role of Lanie Kerrigan, acts as the perfect newscaster / celebrity. Her platinum blonde hair, which she views as her trademark, seems to give off that "I'm-A-Celebrity-And-Therefore-Better-Than-You" attitude. Edward Burns, playing the role of Pete, plays his role quite well. His comedic attitude and witty sarcasm, referring to himself as the "only cameraman who can make her [Lanie] look like a natural blonde", just shows how well cast he is.

Direction-wise, I found that the Director (Stephen Herek) often did too much. Often the screen would turn black except for the center, which showed everything extremely small and skewed. At other times, Herek would have the camera rotate while moving, almost giving the impression that the movie was filmed like one of those amateur astronaut videos in space. Other than that, I can honestly say that the presentation and direction of the movie was top-notch and well done.

The movie also had it's "perks" - the music / soundtrack was so good that when I got home, I immediately rushed to CDNow.com, CDUniverse.com, and other online music retailers to purchase the soundtrack (only to find that it was not available). Also, because commercials only started to air today, April 12th, it wasn't the kind of movie where they give away all the good/funny scenes in the commercial or trailer. Although the trailer is not as enticing as I thought it should have been, seeing the movie first is DEFINITELY WORTH IT!

All in all, "Life or Something Like It" was an amazing movie experience for me - and I'm almost certain that it will tear apart the box offices... Why? Because there isn't much else out there to compete with it, and because IT WAS A GREAT MOVIE!

Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older