Review of Life Less Ordinary, A

Introduction

Does anyone remember jewel cases, or Super Jewel cases to give them their correct name? Today we are resigned to our discs being presented in the ubiquitous Amaray cases or the hateful and flimsy snapper. However, when DVD was still a nascent technology with only a few titles available, the discs were packaged in sturdy durable Perspex, a little like CD cases but with strong hinges and a feeling that you were holding something substantial and valuable in your hands. Admittedly the capacity of these cases was limited and they soon died a quick death, but compared to the cheap and cheerful Amaray cases, they feel like something worth treasuring, and the four titles packaged in Super Jewel cases that I own are particularly cherished. One of these is A Life Less Ordinary. (Make a note at the back there, this was pointless intro #24)

Trainspotting was an amazing and groundbreaking movie. Dealing with subjects in a exciting and thought provoking way that challenged the established conventions of movie making, director Danny Boyle, writer John Hodge and star Ewan MacGregor made one of the classic British movies of the nineties. So when the same team got together to make a romantic comedy of all things, you can be sure that the end result would be unconventional to say the least.

Heaven is in a state of turmoil, as true love seems to be a dying phenomenon on Earth. Despite the best efforts of Gabriel and his celestial police force, fewer and fewer people are falling in love. News of this reaches the `boss` and soon a new incentive scheme is put in place. Succeed in making two mortals fall in love on Earth, or not bother coming back. Gabriel reluctantly gives the assignment to two of his best angels, O`Reilly and Jackson and sends them to Earth to help two mismatched individuals fulfil their destiny. These two unsuspecting individuals are Celine and Robert. Celine is a bored rich kid whose father is a ruthless business tycoon, Naville who dictates her life and belittles her. Robert meanwhile is a cleaner who works at Naville industries while trying to write his trash novel masterpiece. When Robert is fired from his job in favour of a robot, dumped by his girlfriend in favour of an aerobics instructor and evicted from his house, the strain is too much and he storms off to get his job back from Mr Naville. He interrupts Naville berating his daughter and things get out of hand. He ends up kidnapping Celine and together they escape. However, when it comes to kidnappings, Robert is hopelessly inept while Celine is more than experienced.

Video

A Life Less Ordinary was released on DVD in 1998. That`s a year before the invention of DVD players, probably. For an early disc the picture is in pretty good condition. It`s also an innovative use of a two-layer disc. One layer has the whole film in a 4:3 aspect ratio, while the second layer has the film again in 1.85:1 anamorphic. I`ve only seen the widescreen version. Another thing worth mentioning is that the Region 1 disc and laserdisc have the movie in the theatrical ratio of 2.35:1. After a little research (I worship at the altar of IMDB), I learned that the film was originally filmed in Super 35 and the theatrical print was cropped down from that. There is some other technobabble that explains it but the bottom line is that the 1.85:1 version on this disc, while it isn`t the theatrical version actually has more picture information on it. I can live with that.

For a 5-year-old transfer, the picture isn`t too bad. There is a hint of grain and some flecks of dirt, and there are two moments of significant print damage. There are also a couple moments of pixellation and other artefacts but even still, the transfer is still better than a few more recent releases that I have seen.

The cinematography is excellent with some excellent use of the camera to tell the story. Heaven is shown as a brilliant white and overexposed police department, while the first shot of Celine has her walking on water. The tone of the film is fantastic and wondrous and the imagery reflects that. Just when you think the fun is over, the end credits continue the story in animation.

Audio

The sound comes in English and German flavours in a DD 5.1 cellophane packet. There are subtitles in these languages too. The surround track isn`t really outstanding with the speakers only really called to establish atmosphere. The only time you really feel the bass is when the music requires it. Speaking of music, David Arnold supplies the score, but the majority of the film is filled with an inspired selection of tunes from the likes of Orbital, Sneaker Pimps, Ash and Underworld. My favourite Oasis b-side, Round Are Way accompanies the end credits. And I`m in soundtrack heaven.

Features

A Life Less Ordinary comes with extras believe it or not. Inside the sturdy and well-constructed Super Jewel case (though I suppose it`s an Amaray now), you can find a 16-page booklet that has 8 pages written in English. The Chapter listing and a useful guide explaining how to use a DVD take up two pages. The rest of the pages are devoted to the cast and their mini-biographies.

On the disc itself there is 4 minutes of B-Roll footage conveniently called Behind The Scenes as well as some 22 minutes of interview footage with the cast and crew. This is all presented as sound bites with each cast member selectable individually. Some of the material is repetitive and the 10-second interview format becomes tiresome rapidly.

Conclusion

I love A Life Less Ordinary. After Trainspotting, the idea of a romantic comedy made in America may have seemed like a sell out by the producers, but A Life Less Ordinary is a wonderful almost surreal fantasy of a film with a rich vein of black comedy at the heart of it. The idea of angels meddling in the affairs of mortals to make sure that true love wins the day is an ancient one, but here the use of film noir references that inform the celestial characters provides an inventive and tantalising twist. The story is light frothy hokum as many rom-coms are, but the way that the film veers between the real and surreal, with artful flights of fancy is something that Hollywood rarely even contemplates. The script is good too, staying sharp and witty throughout and never once lapsing into the saccharine, even during the big music number.

The casting is great with Ewan MacGregor once again returning to the Danny Boyle stable. He plays Robert with an earnestness and disingenuousness that is at once disarming and charming. Cameron Diaz is stunning as Celine and the two leads work together well. Ian Holm is the nefarious Naville and he relishes the role of irredeemable bad guy. The stars of the film have to be the two angels O`Reilly and Jackson played by Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo. O`Reilly is a sex kitten of an angel who always does the unexpected. Her partner Jackson is a warm hearted and empathic man who has hidden depths. That these two angelic characters have to do the most devilish things to achieve their aims is one of the more delicious things about the film. Tony Shalhoub has only a brief appearance as a bar keeper, but has one of the best lines in the picture.

A Life Less Ordinary particular blending of genres isn`t to everyone`s tastes. This isn`t the kind of romantic comedy that you would expect to see Hugh Grant and Meg Ryan in with the body count just a little too high. It`s also a little too light and frothy a thriller for those expecting another Trainspotting. But put your preconceptions to one side and give A Life Less Ordinary a try. It`s a great comic fantasy with some inventive imagery. It`ll leave you feeling better about yourself and the world and that`s the best recommendation I can give any film.

The disc itself is beginning to show its years. The transfer really doesn`t do the film justice anymore. It`s time to ditch the superfluous 4:3 transfer and get some decent extras on as well, hopefully in a Special Edition, hint hint.