Although An Unfinished Life is a pretty straightforward drama and a bit predictable, the movie is worth watching thanks to the performances of Robert Redford and the great Morgan Freeman.
The film was directed by Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules, Chocolat and Casanova), and also features solid performances by Jennifer Lopez (Monster-In-Law and Maid in Manhattan), and Josh Lucas (A Beautiful Mind and Sweet Home Alabama). It was written by Mark Spragg (based on his novel) and Virginia Korus Spragg.
The movie explores family relationships and forgiveness by telling the story of Jean (Lopez) and her young daughter Griff (Becca Gardner) who are forced to flee an abusive boyfriend after taking one too many beatings. With no real place to live, Jean and Griff go to and stay with Einar (Redford) – Jean’s father-in-law who she hasn’t seen since the death of her husband about ten years ago.
Einar, who at one time owned a successful ranch, is a recovering alcoholic who now spends his days taking care of his friend/employee Mitch (Freeman) – who is recovering from an unfortunate encounter with a bear. Einar lives his life in solitude and still mourns for the death of his son – which he blames on Lopez. His world is turned upside down with the arrival of Lopez and Gardner, and he slowly starts to come alive again. When the abusive boyfriend shows up, Einar begins to realize how much he does care for Jean and Griff, and a classic “western” showdown between Einar and the boyfriend is set.
There is also a great side story between Einar, Mitch and the bear that attacked Mitch. Einar wants the bear killed, but Mitch refuses to let him. When it is captured and taken to a local zoo, Mitch insists that Einar take care of the bear, and make sure it is staying healthy. Later in the film, Mitch (who seems to be somehow connected to the bear) asks Einar to rescue it and return the bear to the wild. Against his better judgment and with the help of Griff, Einar attempts the rescue - which naturally goes wrong. This leads to a showdown between Mitch and the bear, and also sets us up for the coming showdown between Einar and the boyfriend.
Einar can’t move past the death of his son
Although the movie pretty much follows a predictable formula (we know Einar is eventually going to accept Jean and stand up to the boyfriend), the performances of Redford and Freeman more than make up for any of the plot’s lacking moments. The two actors are always great in about any role they take, and together they are even better.
The pairing has some similarities to Michael Caine and Robert Duvall in Secondhand Lions, but again it doesn’t really hurt the enjoyment of the film. They deliver quick witted dialogue, and play off each other really well. Some of the best scenes in film are simply them talking about the weather or trading insults about Einar’s lack of mechanic ability. You will also have to enjoy the final showdown between Einar and the abusive boyfriend – which you know is coming throughout the whole movie.
Gardner also does an excellent job holding her own against the two screen icons, and adds to the humor of the story. You will laugh out loud when she tells them that she is ok with them being gay - which then leads to a discussion about how Freeman always thought Redford had nice hair. The young actress also adds a lot of the emotion to the film, and her scenes with Redford help establish his journey back to life.
Although there is nothing really wrong with their performances, Lopez and Lucas both fail to really bring much to their roles, and at times seem to simply be reading the lines right off the page. Lopez plays the same type of character that we have seen in past films - Jean seems to have shades of Lopez’s Enough character. There is nothing really about the character that helps elevate the performance from what we have seen the actress do in all her other films. Lucas never really has enough screen time to develop more. He is basically there to talk to Einar whenever he gets out of line and to provide a new “love” interest for Lopez. He isn’t bad in the film, but just not used enough to matter.
Redford and Freeman are great together in the film
The DVD comes with some standard special features including commentary with the director, producer and editor of the film; a normal look at the making of the movie; and a look at what went into training Bart The Bear – who has appeared in films from Legends of the Fall to The Edge.
Thanks to Redford and Freeman, An Unfinished Life is a very enjoyable movie – even if the plot has been done before. The two actors more than make up for any of the film’s failings, and Gardner adds heart to the overall story. I would recommend the movie to anyone wanting a decent drama or fans of the two main actors. It is simply a good movie with some witty dialogue, and it manages to entertain from start to finish.
An Unfinished Life is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
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