A Life in the Theatre (1993)

To me, this movie is perfection.

Pretty Good

I wanted to but couldn't!

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Many posts say that lovers of theatre and actors will love this film. I am an actor and Professor of Theatre and I find this film uninvolving, pretentious and wordy. If I wanted my students to fall asleep or hate theatre, I would show this film to them.Over time, these two actors, the old one and the young one take subtle pot shots at each other and the result is just an eye rolling who cares? The play references are obscure at best and Mamet's dialog simply lacks wit and ingenuity.Lemmon will say something about the theatre and Broderick will say "yes." Then Lemon will say something else about the theatre and Broderick will say "yes" again. Ad nauseum. Of course Mametphiles will say "brilliant... what subtext." I say mametshit.Broderick and Lemmon play parts that don't change a hair in the course of the film. In the beginning of the film, Lemmon's character is sad and pedantic and Broderick a sponge. By the end of the film, Lemmon is sad and pedantic and Broderick a sponge. A colossal waste of time. If I as a theatre lover found it a yawner, I can't imagine anyone finding interest in this tawdry yak-fest.Want a good film on the life in theatre? Stick to All About Eve, The Producers, Shakespeare in Love, Stage Door, Centerstage, Amadeus, and even The Bandwagon.

"A Life In The Theater" is an insightful and thoughtful look inside the life of two actors in repertory theater. If you are looking for action, you might as well stop reading and go watch Star Wars again. If you are looking for a film that makes you think long after the movie is over, you have come to the right place. Lemmon is near the top of his game. I say "near to top" only because of his incredible performance in "Glengarry Glen Ross." Veteran actor John (Lemmon) and young actor Robert (Broderick) are stuck together by chance, sharing a dressing room and the stage throughout a long series of plays. They even frequent the same diner. John, a lonely old man who clearly understands that his days are numbered, seizes upon this opportunity to impart his years of experience in the theater to young Robert. Robert's initial pleasure at his companion's attention quickly turns to hauty anger, which in turn dissolves into frustrated bewilderment and concern. For a brief moment he glimpses, through John's actions, where his own path might lead, and it is a sad place indeed. It is not something on which Robert dwells, but his attitude towards John is somewhat tempered by the experience. Practicing his lines in the empty stage of the empty theater, he half-suspects that John is watching from the darkness at the back of the theater--and he is, watching proudly and reciting the lines quietly in concert with his young protégé. It should have ended there. John's interrupted soliloquy to an equally empty theater is anti-climatic. My only other criticism is that Broderick's performance is too understated--he needed a bit more passion. Still, an excellent film.

If you have ever been involved in community or local theater groups, you may enjoy this film. After spending several years with the same actors, play after play, I found this film to hit the bullseye. Mamet's writing is brilliant as the relationship between the veteran actor and the budding actor develops - not only off-stage, but is intensified by the repertory plays in which the two actors are cast. Mamet never fails to entertain, nor does he ever fail to unmask the human dilemma. This movie is considered a 'comedy,' however, if you have ever acted or been involved with production 'behind the scenes,' you may just say to yourself, "this is not funny - I 'know' these people!" This film delivers its goods to those who understand them. And as always, Jack Lemmon and Matthew Broderick are a pleasure to watch perform their craft.

Unless you are trying to watch all of Jack Lemmon's or Matthew Broderick's films stay away from this. 78 minutes of conversation between the 2 actors. I thought it was awful. Nothing interesting happened and the conversation never developed. The viewer never learns much more about the characters and after awhile doesn't care.