An Unfinished Life

The ONLY negative comment about this entertaining movie is that Jennifer Lopez is not an actress...she should stick to singing. The other roles were superbly acted by Morgan Freeman, Robert Redford and Becca (the young actress that plays Redfords granddaughter). The location was perfect! Jennifer has been paired with some outstanding actors and fairly good story lines....Shall we Dance with Richard Gere and Maid in Manhatten with Ralph Fiennes, but even those fine actors could not make up for the fact that Jennifer could not carry her part. It remains uncomfortable to listen to her deliver her lines and watch her one dimensional emotional acting ability. She is a pretty girl, but just not an actress.

The Movie was great! great acting by the Heavyweights, I feel sorry for JLo she looks more like Jennifer Lopez than the Character she is playing- They should Cast another Actress and it could be a perfect +10 - the plot was great! This is the kind of drama we needed for the real world we are living! I won't tell you more- because I don't want to ruin your expectations. I hope Oscars for Freeman and Redford, also the little girl was great! I think she has a great future. I can't believe this came from a book- the story is great and very dramatically written! Fotography and camera art work was great, great direction sequence- well grafted images and great location to consider a western atmosphere A+

Even when he's not an environmental activist or independent film guru, Robert Redford infuses every project and role with a gravitas part hope and part worth. But not all are successful such as All the President's Men or Butch Cassidy. Director Lasse Hallstrom's An Unfinished Life is a modern melodramatic oater whose plot once started can navigate on its own. Redford's Einer is a crusty old Wyoming cowboy taking care of a much milder buddy, Morgan Freeman's Mitch, who has been mauled by an ubiquitous brown bear. Arriving in their lives is Jennifer Lopez's Jean, Einer's ex daughter in law with his granddaughter, whom he had not known about. Why he's grumpy about their arrival is the only original part of a tired plot, so I'll let you enjoy it on your own. After that, you know what happens. Besides the flat screenplay, peppered with Einer's frequent but soft SOB exclamations, are numerous Redford close-ups to show his small but effective repertoire of actorly responses such as frustration and skepticism, and a weathered face hidden behind his stubble. Speaking of "behind," J-Lo tries to act like an actress, but she still is best at eliciting our smirks as she jokes with her daughter about mispronouncing "Butte," Montana. The bear as metaphor for violence and forgiveness competes for figurative heavy-handedness honors with the old pickup truck standing for the creaky Einer. All of this mediocrity can't be blamed just on the writers; Halstrom's proved penchant for the sentimental in family situations (think Cider house Rules and My Life as a Dog) pervades music, tone, and pacing. It was not painful for me to see this beautifully photographed horse soap opera because Redford and Freeman demand attention even when they're just jawing and fighting about nothing. They are not ordinary people, and that reminds me of a worthy Redford film . . . .

Having seen a sneak preview, I disagree with pro-JLo comments from other posters. She's no better than any of her other commercial movies, and certainly not as good as Out of Sight. That remains her one good performance and she has not yet equaled it. I mean, what battered wife has that complexion? That said, the rest of the cast is good and they make up for JLo's one-dimensional performance. Damian Lewis is the real surprise. To go from playing Soames Forsythe to a girlfriend-beater (with a perfect Yank accent to boot) is a real stretch and he pulls it off. Morgan Freeman is excellent as always, Cameron Manheim makes the most of her role and Robert Redford comes back from a string of disappointments. It's better than an airplane movie, and definitely something to consider after you've seen the Penguins, Broken Flowers and The Constant Gardener.

It just wasn't terribly entertaining. Not a single character drew me in. If you want to see Jennifer Lopez leave an abusive relationship, go watch Enough. That's more empowering and entertaining. This movie did have a bear and Morgan Freeman, but that's seriously all I remember about it. It was quite bad. The scenery is dull. The colors are dull. And Jennifer Lopez is not such a spectacular actress that she would make a boring story like this interesting. The whole plot I feel has been done before. And it's been done better. I really have no reason why I would recommend you waste your time on this movie. Please do not watch this film.

This movie was so terrible I think it lasted only one weekend in US theaters before being take out of the theaters. Considered one of the biggest bombs of 2005 by the movie industry. The acting is weak, the storyline is completely pathetic. Sappy, predictable, boring, it just puts you to sleep and I walked out of the theater after an hour without looking back. It was like a bad Lifetime movie in that it was such a silly story - I can't believe they got good actors to be in it. One of the most terrible movies I've ever seen - no exaggeration. Oh yes, this sat on the shelf in the movie studios for 2 years before being released and then flopping

I have always been a great fan of Morgan Freeman and thought he could be good here as well. But ,no, this whole film fails. Probably it due to the fact that this movie is made by Swedish Lasse Hallstram. All his films suck. They only get worse. Couldn't anyone make him realize hes not a director. The movie is so slow that I almost fell to sleep. Afterward I hoped I did. This movie will never be a hit. I don't understand people here who say it will be an Oscar nominee. Never. The best thing about this movie is the good looking Jennifer Lopez. Robert Redford also sucks here. His films are getting sleepier and sleepier. I prefer his old films like Butch Cassidy... and The Sting.

This is the third film from the director that I saw after Chocolat n Cider Ho...I would not call this one a great piece of storytelling but I speak entirely for myself when I say, the characters do not let you go, while you watch this movie. And that is something. Each character and player when he/she is on screen is telling you so many things at a time that you get completely engrossed in their story. Jennifer Lopez plays a single mother running away from her abusive(typical) boy friend Damian Lewis and has no where to go but to her Father-in-law who hates her. Father-in-law is of course Robert Redford who is not looking forward to anything in life, and his only real purpose in living seems to be to take care of his wounded friend Morgan Freeman. There is Bear which wounded Freeman and is the terror element in the otherwise peaceful Wyoming (smashing locales) town and there is Josh Lucas the love interest/sheriff for Jenny's Cinderella. There is débutant Becca Gardner the even-tempered daughter of Jenny's. Camrein Maynheim (The Practice) has a supporting role. And there I finish the list of principal characters in the movie. Now why I am taking pains to mention each one of them is because they are who make this movie watchable. Especially Freeman,Gardner and Redford (in that order). Not that others do a bad job. But these three provide all the entertainment. None of the characters are living in what we would call normal circumstances in any way. At the same time there is nothing new about the story they are telling. It is just the way they go about telling it. Unhurriedly, through gestures and expressions, breathing life into these stereotypes. There is redemption for everyone involved and that is expected. But the story manages to teach you something, and not in a very persuasive manner. That is the redeeming feature of the movie and may be that is the flaw. It will fail to influence too many, some might even find it boring. But I guess that is Okay because for the few viewers who like an optimistic story told with compassionate characters played by expert actors, this one is worth watching.

I saw an advance screening of "An Unfinished Life" and was very impressed. I saw a trailer online and thought that it might be worth a good rental until I noticed in the paper that there was an advance screening. I had never been to one, so I decided to go. This film was outstanding! The scenes b/w Redford and Freeman are hysterical. Morgan Freeman plays the same type of supporting character we all loved in "Million Dollar Baby" (which I think was the best movie of the year so far), to this one. Robert Redford is perfect for his role and gets the job done as usual. Kudos to J-Lo for not screwing it up. She didn't do a bad job at all. I don't know who the little girl is, but she did a very good job too. I enjoyed this film just as much as "Million Dollar Baby", even though it wasn't as poetic, it is just as uplifting and entertaining. This is a very good movie with a very good cast. It is definitely worth a full admission price. "Million Dollar Baby" was the only movie that I have ever seen twice in the theaters and I'll probably go back for this one.

In order to escape from the abusive boy-friend Gary Winston (Damian Lewis), Jean Gilkyson (Jennifer Lopez) moves with her young daughter Griff Gilkyson (Becca Gardner) without previous notice to the ranch of her father-in-law Einar Gilkyson (Robert Redford) in Wyoming. Jean and Einar are disaffected, since he blames her for the death of his beloved son in a car accident. Einar is taking care of his friend Mitch Bradley (Morgan Freeman), who was attacked and seriously wounded by a bear, and he does not know that he has a grand-daughter. While Mitch heals his wounds and forgives the bear, Einar also changes his feelings regarding Jean, finally understanding that accidents happen and accepting her and loving his grand-daughter. "An Unfinished Life" is a beautiful tale of forgiveness, with the lead characters healing their wounds – Mitch, the ones provoked by a savage bear, and Einar his innermost feelings of loss. The cast has amazing performances, showing the importance of a director of the weight of Lasse Halltröm: Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman are unanimity, but I myself like a lot the versatile Jennifer Lopez and strongly believe that even the viewer that dislike her as actress must admit her excellent performance in this touching film. Josh Lucas is a great support actor and the favorable surprise is the performance of the young and unknown Becca Gardner. Although being a predictable story without any twist, this sensitive movie is highly recommended. My vote is eight. Title (Brazil): "Um Lugar para Recomeçar" ("A Place to Restart")