Life or Something Like It

Directed by Stephen Herek, Life or Something Like It follows Angelina Jolie’s Lanie Kerrigan as she’s forced to reevaluate her life choices after a homeless prophet (Tony Shalhoub’s Jack) tells her she’ll die in one week. It’s a familiar yet workable premise that’s employed to persistently watchable (if entirely forgettable) effect by Herek, as the filmmaker, armed with John Scott Shepherd and Dana Stevens’ screenplay, does a strong job of establishing the central character and her decidedly idealized existence – with Jolie’s personable performance going a long way towards maintaining the picture’s decent-enough atmosphere. (It doesn’t hurt, either, that Jolie has been surrounded by such top-flight periphery players as Stockard Channing, James Gammon, and Gregory Itzin, although it’s Ed Burns’ turn as Lanie’s foil-turned-love-interest that remains a continuing highlight within the proceedings.) And while the narrative’s been suffused with a handful of memorable moments and interludes, including (and especially) a fun sequence wherein Lanie leads a group of striking workers in a sing-along of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” Life or Something Like It‘s lackadaisical sensibilities, coupled with a palpably overlong running time, ultimately secures its place as a passable endeavor that probably could (and should) have been better.

**1/2 out of ****