Life Itself

I was hesitant to invest the time in this film after reading critic reviews but I can absolutely say they were truly too harsh with Life Itself. No surprise but it's very reminiscent of 'This Is Us' and instead of an episodic narrative it's condensed to a two hour multi-chaptered film. While it did feel closer to three hours at points, there's a clear disconnect between the current reviews and the actual film performance. It was very emotional and most of the movie I had a lump in my throat. The way it's structured it's almost like three movies in one but the way it all comes together was so fascinating to watch as an audience member. My vote is you give it a shot, it's a really creative story.

Unpredictable, emotional, well- written dialogue, heart felt performances. When I read the bad reviews I was in shock. How can anybody not love this movie ? It touches on the essence of relationships, from the happy moments to the tragic moments. Please ignore the bad reviews and give this movie a chance. It deserves it.

...it's a surprising film. I went into it thinking it would be a fun ride. It sort of started out that way but WHOA. It's NOT. The trailer made it seem it was going to be sunshine and daisies, which is what I was needing. There may be sunshine and daisies within the film but it was more like vinegar and caskets. Not what I needed this particular day.

That doesn't mean the movie isn't excellent. It's really a great story (stories?) You just have to be one of those people or in one of those moods where you find beauty and all the good things in absolute devastating tragedies. I can be that way...today wasn't one of those days for me.

I typically watch Olivia Wilde because she resembles my murdered daughter. August is a very difficult month for me, and this movie just pushed me further into my depression. I do not regret watching the movie, but I wish I had watched it while I was not already in an abyss.

Great cast, VERY unique style and blend, insanely surprising (good and definitely bad), it's really very good.

Just go into it when you aren't feeling suicidal or depressed, you may enjoy it more.

Interesting how much "professional" critics, users reviews, and IMDB score vary. That itself tells you there's something special about this movie. I thought it was excellent. It takes you on a fast & violent emotion roller-coaster, and yes, statistically some of the plot is unlikely, but the emotions rung true to me, and I don't care about statistical anomalies if they serve the story. Quite a few reviews compare this to a French movie, though I'm unsure what that means. I'm French, and I'm surely biased, but at least it's not soup: it's drama. The movie clearly offended a lot of people, which is ironic, because that's the point the movie's making: life is fierce, and it's beautiful.

...because I'm glad I did!!! For some baffling reason this has low IMDB rating...I almost didn't watch because of this and boy I would've missed out on yet another brilliant Dan Fogelman story. Crazy, stupid love happens to be a go-to movie of mine and This Is Us is one of my favorite tv shows. So my husband and I gave Life Itself a whirl hoping for something similar in style. I'm pretty sure my heart exploded with emotion...in the best possible way. I LOVE movies that make me emotionally vulnerable (like opening montage scene of UP!) and this movie nabbed at every emotion humanly possible in 90 minutes. My combat veteran husband (who keeps his emotions on reserve, mind you) said, and I quote, "Next to A Star Is Born, this is the best movie I've seen all year." On top of that, the acting is superb. Grab some tissues and enjoy.