An Unfinished Life
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An Unfinished Life
Plot
Two generations of a damaged family are brought together in this emotional drama. Einar Gilkyson (Robert Redford) was a once successful rancher whose spread went to seed after he developed a serious drinking problem. Now on the wagon, Einar looks after what's left of his spread with his friend Mitch (Morgan Freeman), a one-time cowhand who never fully recovered after being mauled by a bear. Einar once had a son named Griffin, but he died in a car wreck while Griffin's wife, Jean (Jennifer Lopez), was driving; Einar never forgave her for the death, and he had never met the granddaughter she was carrying until she arrived at his doorstep 11 years later. Jean has become involved with a violent man named Gary (Damian Lewis), and seeks refuge on Einar's ranch for the safety of her daughter, Griff (Becca Gardner). Einar reluctantly takes in Jean and Griff, giving them a place to stay as Jean looks for work and tries to put her life back together. But old trouble makes its way back to town in two ways -- Gary tracks down Jean and wants to make her pay for leaving him, while the bear who attacked Mitch comes down from the mountains looking for new prey. An Unfinished Life was adapted from the novel of the same name by Mark Spragg. ~ Mark Deming, RoviReview
With a powerhouse cast that should have spoken to multiple demographics -- Jennifer Lopez for the hip-hop generation, Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman for their parents -- you'd think that someone would have seen An Unfinished Life. The pedigree of director Lasse Hallström should have only helped. Yet An Unfinished Life had an unfinished box office, amassing a paltry 8.5 million dollars in domestic receipts. Granted, it isn't anything we haven't seen before. An unconventional family unit -- related by blood, by marriage, and by friendship -- nurses both physical and emotional wounds in the pastoral setting of a Wyoming ranch, and there are heavy social issues aplenty, ranging from the topical (domestic abuse and alcoholism) to the timeless (guilt, blame, alienation, neglect). Yet there's something about this film that's greater than the limitations of a quick synopsis, and it's likely attributable to the names listed above. Redford and Freeman are memorable as two fiftysomethings with vastly different approaches to the person or thing that caused them pain. While Redford pathologically refuses to forgive his daughter-in-law (Lopez) for a tragic car accident more than a decade earlier, Freeman maintains an uncommonly humane outlook on the bear that mauled him, even with those physical wounds still healing. Lopez does credible work trying to remain stoical in the face of her guilt, and child actor Becca Gardner is a true find as the youngest in this emotionally broken clan. If there's any complaint about Mark and Virginia Spragg's script, based on Mark Spragg's book, it's that it focuses too intensely on pain as one of life's constants; even a secondary character, played by Camryn Manheim, is coping with the loss of a child. Yet for those in the audience who find themselves in similarly painful circumstances, this contemplative work should provide them perspective, enrichment, and comfort. ~ Derek Armstrong, RoviCast
- Robert Redford - Elinar Gilkyson
- Jennifer Lopez - Jean Gilkyson
- Morgan Freeman - Mitch Bradley
- Becca Gardner - Griff Gilkyson
Credit
Karen Schulz-Gropman - Art Director, James Steuart - Art Director, Stephen P. Dunn - Associate Producer, Kerry Barden - Casting, Billy Hopkins - Casting, Suzanne Smith - Casting, Coreen Mayrs - Casting, Heike Brandstatter - Casting, Joey Newman - Conductor, Su Armstrong - Co-producer, Tish Monaghan - Costume Designer, Lasse Hallström - Director, Danny Virtue - Second Unit Director, Andrew Mondshein - Editor, Joe Roth - Executive Producer, Mark Rydell - Executive Producer, Bob Weinstein - Executive Producer, Harvey Weinstein - Executive Producer, Meryl Poster - Executive Producer, Graham King - Executive Producer, Michelle Raimo - Executive Producer, Matthew Rhodes - Executive Producer, Will Fearn - Location Manager, Deborah Lurie - Composer (Music Score), Marq Roswell - Musical Direction/Supervision, Jayne Dancose - Makeup, Matthew Mungle - Makeup Special Effects, David Gropman - Production Designer, Oliver Stapleton - Cinematographer, Ron Goodman - Cinematographer, George Chapman - Production Manager, Alan Ladd, Jr. - Producer, Kelliann Ladd - Producer, Leslie Holleran - Producer, Dennis Davenport - Set Designer, Michael Kirchberger - Sound/Sound Designer, Rudy Zasloff - Sound/Sound Designer, Danny Virtue - Stunts Coordinator, Doug Seus Wasatch Rocky Mountain Wildlife Incorpo - Stunts Coordinator, Mark Spragg - Screenwriter, Virginia Spragg - Screenwriter, Christopher Young - Additional Music, Doug Seus Wasatch Rocky Mountain Wildlife Incorpo - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Chris Patterson - Associate Editor, Jeff Robinson - Post Production Supervisor, Linda Brownstein-Sheehy - Production Coordinator, Bryan Korenberg - Properties Master, Roberto Fernandez - Re-Recording Mixer, Lee Dichter - Re-Recording Mixer, Michael Barry - Re-Recording Mixer, Jessica Clothier - Script Supervisor, David K. Arnold - Second Assistant Director, Gary Minielly - Special Effects Coordinator, Douglas Schwartz - Steadicam Operator, Christopher Porter - Chief Lighting Technician, Glenn Woodruff - Construction Coordinator, Sandra Matossi - Production Accountant, Jim Finn - Visual Effects, Lesley Beale - Set Decorator, Mark Spragg - Book Author, Glen Gauthier - Production Sound Mixer, Vincent Sullivan - Department Head Hair, Stephen P. Dunn - Assistant Director| An Unfinished Affair (1996 Film), An Unexpected Love (2003 Film) | |
| An Unfinished Piece for the Player Piano (1977 Film), An Unfortunate Fortune (1993 Film) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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An Unfinished Life
This article is about the Lasse Hallström film. For the unrelated biography of President Kennedy, see An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963.
| An Unfinished Life | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Lasse Hallström |
| Produced by | Leslie Holleran Alan Ladd, Jr. Joe Roth Bob Weinstein Harvey Weinstein |
| Written by | Mark Spragg Virginia Korus Spragg |
| Starring | Robert Redford Jennifer Lopez Morgan Freeman |
| Music by | Deborah Lurie |
| Cinematography | Oliver Stapleton |
| Editing by | Andrew Mondshein |
| Studio | Revolution Studios |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
| Release date(s) | August 19, 2005 (EIFF) September 9, 2005 (United States) |
| Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million |
| Box office | $18,618,284 |
An Unfinished Life is a 2005 drama film directed by Swedish director Lasse Hallström, and based on the Mark Spragg novel of the same name. The film stars Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, and Morgan Freeman. It is the story of a Wyoming rancher (Redford) who must reconcile his relationship with his daughter-in-law (Lopez) and granddaughter, after they show up unexpectedly at his ranch and ask to stay with him and his disabled best friend and neighbor (Freeman).
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Contents
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Plot
One year ago, a wild bear stole a calf from Mitch (Morgan Freeman) and Einar (Robert Redford)’s ranch. The two friends attempted to save the calf, but the bear viciously attacked Mitch — and because Einar was drunk, he failed to save him from serious injury. The bear escaped into the mountains.
A year later, Mitch’s wounds still cause him constant pain. Einar cares for Mitch daily, giving him morphine injections, food and friendship. He leans his guilt on emotional crutches, while Mitch struggles to walk with a cane. The bear later returns to forage for food in town — and around the same time, Einar’s long-lost daughter-in-law Jean (Jennifer Lopez) shows up on his doorstep.
Sheriff Crane Curtis (Josh Lucas) captures the bear and displays him in the town zoo. Likewise, Jean and her daughter Griff (Becca Gardner) move in with Einar and Mitch. Einar’s son, Griffin, had moved away and married Jean years ago, causing a rift in the family that snapped when Griffin died in a car accident. Tension mounts between Einar and Jean because both are still grieving for Griffin.
Since Griffin died, Jean has fallen into a series of abusive relationships. She moved in with Einar to escape her latest abusive boyfriend, Gary (Damian Lewis), but like the bear, her past will return to haunt her. Jean slowly falls in love with Sheriff Curtis, but little Griff can’t open up to him or trust him because of Jean’s bad experiences.
Jean starts working at a local coffee shop. There she befriends Nina, another waitress (Camryn Manheim), who helps her understand Einar’s gruff ways and dark past.
Tensions in the family continue to build. One night, Gary arrives to harass Jean and Griff. He and Einar have an explosive confrontation that pushes Einar to the brink.
Einar returns to the ranch and demands that Jean tells him how Griffin died. Jean says they flipped a coin to determine who would drive — she lost. At 3 a.m., the two tired souls set out for the last leg of their trip. Jean fell asleep at the wheel. The car flipped six times. Griffin died, but Jean survived and discovered she was pregnant with Griff. When he learns the truth about why his son was ripped from him too soon, Einar says they’ll have to talk about Jean moving out. Jean says she’s through talking. The next morning she takes Griff with her and leaves. Griff, who loves her grandfather as the first strong male figure in her life, runs back to the ranch alone. Einar and Mitch teach her to be a real Wyoming cowgirl.
The movie ends with Mitch insisting that Einar set the bear who handicapped him free, although the plan does not go off without a hitch. Einar lands in the hospital, where he and Jean attempt to reconcile. Einar invites Jean to come back and live with him and Griff. Mitch survives a peaceful confrontation with the bear from his past. It flees to the mountains where it belongs.
Gary makes one last attempt to drag Jean and Griff back “home” — this ends with Einar beating him up and tossing him on a bus out of town. In the final scene, Einar affectionately talks with one of his cats — who throughout the whole story he coldly ignored. Griff then invites Sheriff Curtis for lunch. All is well as Mitch narrates the last seconds of the story, describing his dreams of flying above the earth to Einar.
Cast
- Robert Redford as Einar Gilkyson
- Jennifer Lopez as Jean Gilkyson
- Morgan Freeman as Mitch Bradley
- Josh Lucas as Sheriff Crane Curtis
- Lynda Boyd as Kitty
- Damian Lewis as Gary Winston
- Camryn Manheim as Nina
- Becca Gardner as Griff Gilkyson
- Trevor Moss as Griffin Gilkyson (in flashbacks)
Production
While set in Wyoming, the movie was actually filmed in the towns of Ashcroft, Savona, and Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. [1]
Release and reception
Critical reaction
Reviews of the film were mixed, with many critics praising the acting rapport of Redford and Freeman while panning the predictability of the well-trodden storyline. Movie review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes shows that 53% of critics gave the film a positive review, giving it a "rotten" score.[2]
Box office
An Unfinished Life did not open well; it opened at number 16 in its limited release opening weekend with $1,008,308. In its second weekend, with a wider release, the film opened at number 11 with $2,052,066.[3] Despite its $30 million budget, the film made a meager $18,618,284 worldwide by the time of its closing.
References
External links
- An Unfinished Life at the Internet Movie Database
- An Unfinished Life at AllRovi
- An Unfinished Life at Box Office Mojo
- An Unfinished Life at Rotten Tomatoes
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