That's Life! (1986)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

An interesting misfire. Director and co-writer Blake Edwards tries for an autobiographical touch in this family-laden drama, and was rightly accused of narcissism by the critics (who probably wouldn't have pounced so hard had the picture been made with a bit more flavor). 60-year-old architect in Southern California expounds on life's woes while his too-patient spouse deals privately with her own agonies. Although Jack Lemmon does get to spout off with some well-written (if familiar) tyrannies, and Julie Andrews is allowed to put in her much-needed two-cents near the finish, I felt Edwards' film was far removed from reality. It seems to exist in a poor-sports netherworld in which only the wealthy are unhappy. Perhaps it's time for Edwards to get away from the beach-front condos of Malibu and see how the other half lives. *1/2 from ****

"That's Life" is supposed to be a story about a man just on the other side of a middle age crisis on his way to a breakdown. It stars Jack Lemmon who plays middle aged men on their way to a breakdown better than anyone. Julie Andrews is his loving, supportive wife, who is going through a crisis of her own. Directed by Blake Edwards, I thought this movie had real potential and couldn't wait to get to the theatre to see it.It turned out to be a painfully dull family reunion picture for the Lemmon's and Edwards'. Populated with many of the stars actual children, "That's Life" feels as though you are seeing some type of home movie. Thanks, but I'll stick with my own.It's hard to feel compassion or sympathy with Harvey Fairchild (Lemmon), when he has a beautiful house, beautiful family that loves him, fancy suits, three martini lunches... you get the picture. But Harvey is helplessly self-centered. Oblivious to all going on around him. He cannot even be happy at the prospect of being a grandparent. Nor does he pick up the signals that his wife may be sick.Watching Lemmon, I thought that his performance was a cross of "Days of Wine and Roses" and "Save the Tiger". It's all been done before. He is certainly not helped with a lame script by Edwards.The only saving grace in this movie is Julie Andrews. Stoic, strong, and courageous in the face of her own problems, as well as having to be strong for Harvey. Her performance is the only well-rounded, realistic one in the film.As for the other members of the Edwards and Lemmon families, the less said the better.4 out of 10

The part of Gillian, which Julie Andrews portrayed in "That's Life," gave me a queasy feeling: here was a character who was suffering from a possible career-threatening throat ailment. The film was made in 1986.In real life, ten years later, Andrews would be experiencing a like situation, and two years thereafter awaiting results of a throat operation with parallel consequences.This was not unlike a similar feeling I got when Elizabeth Taylor underwent her well-publicized brain operation in 1997. I vividly recalled her 1959 role of Catherine in "Suddenly Last Summer," in which the crux of that script was built around Catherine's receiving a brain operation.As fine as both of those performances were, the art vs. life aspects were equally as impressive, and unnerving.

Many people dislike this film because of its melodramatic sentimentality, but I love it because Lemmon's performance is near perfect. I say this because as we see Harvey Fairchild suffer a mid life crisis, we see Jack Lemmon, the actor, suffer. This film was made in the years when Lemmon was going through problems of his own, with drinking and among other things. Lemmon captured numerous demons through the performance of Harvey, plus I think the film is good in general. Robert Loggia is another favorite of mine and he, along with his Oscar nod in the same year for "Jagged Edge," is simply wonderful as Harvey's friend and priest who drinks as people give their confessions. Sally Kellerman is also a delight.