REVIEW: Life Itself is No This Is Us

Life is unpredictable, it can throw a person up, down, around, and right when a person thinks they have life in control, another curveball is thrown. That is the theme behind Dan Fogelman’s new film, Life Itself. The film is a multi-generational film following different families trying to survive life.

For those who may be unaware, Dan Fogelman is the creator of NBC’s hit This Is Us and just like This Is Us, he does everything he can to make the audience cry. A number of scenes are meant to hit the audience right in the gut and bring on the shock value, which, in the end, deters from the film. The story seems real and unreal at the same time. It is hard to imagine that all the things these characters go through could actually happen to one person and weren’t just created to being an emotional punch in the gut.

Oscar Issac, Olivia Wilde, Annette Bening, and Mandy Patinkin’s characters set the story up, but aren’t the real draw to the film. Antonio Banderas, Laia Costa, Alex Monner and Sergio Peris-Mencheta’s characters, and how they interact with one another, will suck you in. Their chapter seems more realistic than the other chapters told throughout the film because it’s not doused in sadness, but filled with fleeting moments of both angst and joy. The performances from everyone in the flick manage to bring the sadness factor front and center and keep it there until the credits roll.

If sad films are your thing or you are a fan of This Is Us, go and see this film. It is the perfect film to sit and watch on a rainy afternoon. For those not into those type of things, I suggest seeing something else this weekend.

Grade: C+