An Unfinished Life (2005)

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Nobody should ever complain after watching a Robert Redford movie. After all these years, we know exactly what he's about and what he will show us. A lot of magnificent scenery with fantastic cinematography, and an old curmudgeon unaware that he's just waiting on a chance at redemption. Redford cares deeply about his movies and he always makes them high-quality and totally out of step with the current fashion. This is a good thing if you're not particularly enthusiastic about still more comic-book flicks and space fantasies and remakes and movies based on old TV shows, along with explosions and crazy driving.This time around, Redford is in fine form as always, and he has skillful backup, again as always. He's not interested in hogging the screen and insists on having perfectly-tuned performances from the other characters. There's really nothing left to say about Morgan Freeman, but Jennifer Lopez is the big surprise here. De-glammed from a magazine cover goddess to a naturally pretty, stressed-out, mistake-prone woman in her mid-30s and at the end of her rope, JLo fits right in with her esteemed colleagues and in fact holds her own with them. She's rarely praised for her acting, but she certainly deserves it for this role. These three hold down the center of the film, but everybody else in the cast also does superb work. Not a single dud in the bunch.Redford's Einar has let himself many years ago. He's unshaven, his hair sticks out in all directions, he's not clean nor does he wear clean clothes. He clearly just doesn't give a bowel movement. When I was little, I had a great-uncle who looked the same way and visits to his house were always guaranteed to be an experience. So Einar is an archetype, and a very good one. He and Morgan Freeman's Mitch are two very badly damaged men; Einar psychologically and Mitch physically. Meanwhile, JLo's Jean has run out of options and she's forced to turn to the one man and to return to the one place that she swore she'd never go near again. At first glance, the unfinished life in the title seems to refer to Einar's long-dead son, but it turns out that it's also about Einar and Jean and Mitch. All three had their lives stopped by some tragedy and they learn to finally move on with the help of the other two.Anyway, "An Unfinished Life" is an enjoyable, leisurely, easy-going movie experience and I highly recommend it. Especially if you're looking for a break from our routine movie options, like I said earlier.

This movie was...okay...for what it was, I guess. Redford IS great in this. He looks very grizzled and worn out and plays his stoic character very well. Some good, tender moments come out of his interaction with his granddaughter. The rest of the cast was functional, although no one else really stood out. The movie was very predictable, and had a few moments of unrealistic sentimentality. The scene near the end where Morgan Freeman and the bear confront each other was, to me, cringe-inducing. Do you think this bear thought to himself "Well, I've already messed this guy up...I think this time I'll give him a pass"? This is a PREDATOR. They don't think in those terms. They sense a threat or a meal, and you are in big trouble. Of course, this was played up for the "Awww" factor, but I found it insulting and unrealistic. Also, there was really no big climax. The penultimate scene, where Redford kicks abusive Gary's ass and sends him on his way was played out much too quickly, and Gary pretty much tucked his tail between his legs, and caught the first bus out of town. That was it. There should have been something much more menacing about Gary. He shouldn't have been that easy to scare off. The movie didn't so much end as it just kind of petered out.The scenery and Redford's acting were first rate, and everyone else did a decent job, but overall I found it to be disappointing.

The ones you feel without knowing you do, those you feel and don't like to and those you feel and like but don't want to appear you are feeling them. A young woman and her daughter come back to her father-in-law's house that she had left when pregnant after her husband died in a car accident. Her father-in-law blames her for his son's death and looks like being unable to forgive her. But slowly and through the progressive sociability with his granddaughter he begins to humanize though it's very difficult for him to forget his only son (he often goes to talk to him beside his grave). The story develops itself naturally in a realistic atmosphere and the sentiments shown are quite normal, nothing untrue or illogical ever happening. The course of events is suddenly troubled by the appearance of the former boyfriend of the young woman from whom she had run away because he used to beat her and this leads to a few dramatic scenes. There is also a curious subplot consisting in an obsession that the partner (Morgan Freeman) of the young woman's father-in-law has with a bear that had once attacked him hurting him very seriously and making him invalid. It's a curious psychological relationship since the man seems to love the bear and wants it to be set free. It's not a very good movie but what may be called a goody-goody one which is worth to be seen and it has an excellent cast (Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez and Morgan Freeman) who do a great performance.

My initial reaction after watching this movie was what a beautiful film visually and what a great story about love, acceptance and forgiveness. As I thought more about it I became more unsettled with some of the messages in the film.Every character but one gets understanding, redemption and love for behavior that led to pain, suffering and even death. The violent, possessive, abusive boyfriend gets none of it. He is portrayed as just plain bad who deserves a violent beating from the films hero - no redemption for this man. Restraint and consequences for bad behavior for sure but a viscous beating to be overlooked by the law? Isn't this some of the negative aspect of frontier culture this film wanted to challenge? Perhaps the origins of that man's behavior was in such abuse as a child and built into his psyche. However no understanding or forgiveness is warranted here. Instead of challenging the cycle of bullying, abuse and violence this film helps perpetuate it.