Talking To The Screen

A Life Less Ordinary :1997

'A Life Less Ordinary' is about two young people who are destined to fall in 
love.  However, as it stands, they're not even on their way to meeting, let 
alone falling in love.  To remedy this situation, two angels are sent to insure 
the lovers' fate.

Playing the young lovers are Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz.  Both are young and 
untested.  McGregor has had one absolutely breathtaking role in the mind blowing 
'Transpotting'.  Cameron Diaz had been in the blockbuster, 'The Mask' with Jim 
Carey, but could at best be considered a rising star.  To complement these two 
starlets two veteran actors are cast as the angels, Oscar winner Holly Hunter, 
and Delroy Lindo.  In my opinion, while stunning, Cameron Diaz didn't deliver an 
inspired performance until 'Being John Malkovich'.  Ewan McGregor, neither 
before or since, has acted as well as he did in 'Trainspotting'.  Maybe he set 
the bar too high.  Fortunately, Hunter and Lindo are seasoned pros, and while 
not exceptional, their acting creates a wonderful relationship between the two 
angels.

The m?lange of destiny and love has been tried and tested.  However, the 
anthropomorphosis of destiny in two capricious earthbound angels is certainly 
novel.  Instead of shooting the arrow of love into our young couple, O'Reilly 
and Jackson (very angelic names, no?), concoct a scheme in which Robert 
(McGregor), a janitor, kidnaps Celine (Diaz), the daughter of a wealthy 
executive.  Robert is the most unlikely of kidnappers, and Celine the rarest 
kind of hostage: willing.   Through a series of comedic bungles and angelic 
hijinks, the two finally develop feelings for each other and fall in love.  

Sadly the ending of the film is thoroughly disappointing.  There is a bust shot 
of Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz addressing the viewer in front of a backdrop 
of clips from the movie.  They each, basically, give a mildly philosophical 
monologue on love and fate and their ridiculous romance.  Whatever simple 
affection I had for this movie was severely damaged by this atrocious sequence.  
First of all, I just saw the movie, there's no need to recap the action in the 
last scene.  Secondly, the scene violates one of the basic tenets of any art 
form: "show, don't tell".  Having the screenwriter's intentions spelled out to 
me through two characters, clearly not speaking in the voices they have been 
using all movie, is infuriating.  (Shockingly, the same man who wrote the 
obnoxious ending speeches in 'A Life Less Ordinary' also wrote the script for 
'Trainspotting'.  Yet another example of the fluke of talent that the heroin 
drama evoked.)

'A Life Less Ordinary' is a fun and easy film to watch.  But that's about it.  
Watch for Delroy Lindo as infuriated angel when Robert's naivet? foils one of 
his schemes: comedic brilliance.