John came to Hollywood to get that one big break in life. Years have passed since and all he has to show for are a menial job, unpaid bills and airhead friends and he's getting sick of it al... Read allJohn came to Hollywood to get that one big break in life. Years have passed since and all he has to show for are a menial job, unpaid bills and airhead friends and he's getting sick of it all. Is there a way out of this downward spiral?John came to Hollywood to get that one big break in life. Years have passed since and all he has to show for are a menial job, unpaid bills and airhead friends and he's getting sick of it all. Is there a way out of this downward spiral?
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James Le Gros
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10Jeanna
The Low Life is my favorite movie. This film left me feeling numb, that's when I know if something was good or not. Rory Cochrane gives an amazing performance, which he always does, as the aspiring writer, John Martin. Sean Astin, Ron Livingston, Christian Meoli, Kyra Sedgewick and others also take roles as interesting characters in this well written work of genius. Again I say that this movie is an experience, and to understand this experience you need to see this film. It's so good, I don't want to spoil it for you, so go see for yourself.
The characters don't interact with each other very well, but separately they are very interesting. I especially liked Sean Astin's Andrew, a lonely twenty-something with a penchant for 80s power ballads. James LeGros is up to his usual standards as Michael Schroeder, Jr., the landlord who sends his temps to do everything from plumbing to evictions.
I usually like Rory Cochrane, but either his character wasn't written all that well (probably the case) or he didn't do it very well. At the end you're more interested in Andrew's fate than anyone else's.
I usually like Rory Cochrane, but either his character wasn't written all that well (probably the case) or he didn't do it very well. At the end you're more interested in Andrew's fate than anyone else's.
This movie is really good...easily Rory Cochranes best movie as well as Sean Astin's best movie. Sean Astin's character is so easily relateable to if you ever were a geek. The first time I saw this movie, I gushed tears at the end when they played that Journey song. Ron Livingston is always great to watch too. My buddy painted a picture of the end when Rory's character is walking along the street next to the parking meters and as soon as I saw it, I bought it from him. I honestly can't believe that this film has not been put on DVD. Anyways, you need to see this movie. It came out at a time when the Gen-X movies were in full swing and almost cliche, but Sean Astin's character breaks those cliches(when he crumples that lamp, you'll die), it will give Sean Astin a free pass much like Emilio gets a free pass simply because he was Otto.
I highly recommend you see this film. The story revolves around one mans struggle to be unaffected by those around him no matter how much they care or try to help . The characters are very well rounded and all serve a purpose (we'll have no throw away characters here thankyou!) The acting is suburb and Rory Cochrane delivers , as usual , a well rounded performance perfectly capturing the stoic struggle with subtlety and intelligence. Sean Astin is at his nerdy best with strong support by Ron Livingston .
Well worth a look.
Well worth a look.
Fine performances and a believable story revolve around a Yale graduate who is stuck in a rut of temp jobs. His bland friends can't help him get on his feet but a strange new roommate whom he thinks he can't stand actually brings out the life that he has pent up inside. At first glance this film may seem slow, a bit dark, and even depressing, but when examined as a whole after completion it really is a little slice of art with stand out performances from Cochrane, Sedgwick, and Astin.
Did you know
- TriviaRory Cochrane and Renée Zellweger appeared in Dazed and Confused (1993), Love and a .45 (1994), and Empire Records (1995).
Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $45,436
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $3,589
- May 12, 1996
- Gross worldwide
- $45,436
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