The Life Before This

i caught this movie on HBO and i thought it was awesome. maybe it was because i had read a book with no plot, just showed peoples lives in NYC and how they connect, and it was an amazing book. i thought this movie was remarkable - maybe because i didn't need the sense of closure, seeing how everyone's lives ran together into the coffee shop shooting at the end was enough for me. i liked it.

I was floored by the simple idea that is the basis for this movie, "Some things almost never happen." and how that was acted out in the every day lives of the characters. How the smallest choices that you make -- walking into a restaurant or not, taking a job, having a drink, not answering the phone -- can make such a huge difference in a person's life. I came away from the movie thinking that it isn't always the obviously huge decisions you make in your life that make up who you are...those are important, but so are the decisions that you make every day. The actors and actresses didn't overact -- nothing was overdone or cheesy -- the music was quiet and undramatic. I especially enjoyed Catherine O'Hara's performance -- I could hear people in the audience giggling around me at some of her lines. She is funny, and perfect in this role.

If you want to see a subtle yet flooring and enjoyable movie -- check this out. Don't expect the usual sappy hollywood ending...thankfully this movie has a real ending. Parts of it are laugh out loud funny. I walked out of this movie and immediately said "I have to find this on DVD." I guarantee you'll want to see it again too.

I agree with a previous reviewer in saying that this film had good potential. And in some spots, it comes through on this promise. Unfortunately, when all is said and done, this film does feel a bit incomplete with some things left unexplained.

On the plus side, I like how it shows that life can change very drastically with just one seemingly irrelevant incident or event. However, I felt that there were other ironies that were intended or even implied, but the film failed to get them across. If these ironies were explained, and all of the stories connected in more than just the beginning and the ending, this would have been a much better film and I believe it would have fulfilled its potential.

I must say, despite its flaws, I liked it. But I could've liked it better...

The Life Before This is one of those films most producers would be scared of making and most studios would have no idea how to market, which is a shame. Hollywood needs more movies like this. It is by no means a happy-go-lucky, feel-good, quickly forgotten movie like most crap put out today. It actually makes you think(God forbid!) about the importance of seemingly trivial choices that we make everyday and how much ability we have to unknowingly affect the people around us. Sarah Polley is absolutely amazing in this film, which is pretty par for the course with her, but the other actors are all strong enough to not be overshadowed. Credit should go to the director for switching between and connecting multiple story lines with ease and still making you feel like a really know all of the characters. If you're a fan of big budget, action-laden blockbusters or easy to digest fluff, stay away!!! LBT is an intelligent, eloquent, understated, and disturbing(but not unnecessarily or frivolously) film with all the subtlety and nuance of a Sofia Coppola pic. The acting is superb, the script is superb, the cinematograhpy is superb, everything simply works. This movie will leave you questioning, depressed, disturbed, and moved, and yet despite all this, there is something oddly life affirming about it. Rent it and see for yourself.

I've just read a few of the comments on this film, and I can't believe how much people hated it. I adored it. I admit that I was bored at first, but then I suddenly found myself deep in it, and enthralled by the characters. I think that's why people didn't like it. If you're looking for a chronological narrative with closure, this isn't for you. But if you're looking for an in-depth and personal look into people's lives, and how lonely, confused, and scared they can be, this is it.

Sarah Polley is incredible as always. She's been one of my favorites for years. And Catherine O'Hara made me remember how much I adore her. She's absolutely wonderful. I could go on... Stephen Rea, Joe Pantoliano, everyone here has a chance to shine, and they do. They show you how people can hurt.