#An unfinished life set location movie#

MPAA rating: PG-13 for some violence, including domestic abuse, and language When the bear isn’t on screen, “An Unfinished Life” makes do with sentimental musings like “Do you think the dead really care about our lives?” If that includes watching pictures like this, the answer is probably no. Still, if you compare his scenes with Freeman with what Freeman did with Clint Eastwood in a similar relationship in “Million Dollar Baby,” you end up respecting what Eastwood and screenwriter Paul Haggis accomplished more. While Lopez, Freeman and Lucas do solid work, it is Redford who seems to be having the most fun playing the crankiest geezer in town. It’s not that the action is that badly done, it’s that it’s so obvious. Griff and her grandfather will get close, psycho Gary will show up out of nowhere and that pesky bear will serve some dread metaphorical purpose. If you’ve ever seen a movie, you know what’s going to happen. Einar, who holds Jean responsible for his son’s death, does not exactly greet her with open arms, but local sheriff Crane Curtis (Josh Lucas) is more receptive. Ensnared in an abusive relationship with soft-spoken psycho Gary (Damian Lewis), Jean returns to Ishawooa for the first time in more than a decade. Halfway across the country, Einar’s widowed daughter-in-law, Jean (Lopez), and Griff, the 11-year-old granddaughter he doesn’t know he has (a charming Becca Gardner) are having problems of their own. Up on a hill above the ranch house is the grave of Einar’s died-too-young son, with a gravestone inscribed “An Unfinished Life.” It starts with cantankerous rancher Einar Gilkyson (Redford), living outside Ishawooa, Wyo., with former hired hand Mitch Bradley (Freeman), now disabled because of an attack by that wandering bear. The film’s story is not a complicated one. Which is not surprising given that director Hallstrom, whose previous films include “The Shipping News,” “Chocolat” and “The Cider House Rules,” is a known wallower in emotion. The girl playing Jean's daughter is also terrific.Ĭheck it out if you wanna see a good family drama displaying the aspects of healing, redemption and forgiveness and if you've patience.The leanly written novel was widely praised for its unsentimental nature when it was published last year, but that quality is nowhere to be found in the film. Morgan Freeman gives an incredible performance as usual, while Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez also live their character amazingly and give a natural performance.

The humor at regular intervals also makes it lively. Einar's friend Mitch's (Morgan Freeman) parallel track, also emphasizing the power of forgiveness, is equally good.

#An unfinished life set location movie#

The movie displays how each character deal with their pain. Einar finds it difficult to forgive her, but he's fond of his grand-daughter. She leaves her husband's house soon after the incident, but returns years later with her daughter when she needs a hiding place.

Could it have been better? Sure, but as it is it isn't too bad.Ī good drama that indicates the significance of forgiveness, and how it can be tough than vengeance sometimes.Įinar (Robert Redford) is the father-in-law of Jean (Jennifer Lopez) whose husband dies in a car accident while she was driving. This isn't a movie that is overly important, nor will it ever be a classic but what it is, is a solid piece of filmmaking. There were some truly beautiful moments and some occasionally funny ones. Overall I still enjoyed the film as a whole. There seemed to be some really interesting directions the film could have gone, but they were skipped every time for a more predictable option. The other thing I didn't really care for is how the story took the easy way out to man times. She doesn't fit the role and is a mediocre, if sexy, actress at best. Jennifer Lopez is miss cast if you ask me. So those are the things I really loved about the film. The Wyoming scenery is beautifully shot and the cinematography is amazing. It's well acted, especially by screen legends Morgan Freeman and Robert Redford. 'Every secret takes on a life of its own.'Īn Unfinished Life isn't the most original thing you'll ever see, but it does do a lot of things well. Mitch Bradley: I know people everywhere that thought they got dealt a bad hand.