Nonureva Really Surprised!

PlatinumRead Just so...so bad

2freensel I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

Raymond Sierra The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Tom Clarke Part of what made This Life such a landmark television series was its uncompromising trendiness – its utter refusal to comply with standard dramatic devices. The shaky camera, the rough cuts, the sex and the swearing were genuinely ground-breaking, which is why Amy Jenkins' decision to make a one-off comeback 10 years on has just a tinge of sell-out about it. I suppose this is how die-hard Beatles fans felt when Paul McCartney released the Frog Chorus.Still, getting a glimpse of the whole "what happened next?" thing is always intriguing. In This Life +10 the group of law graduates reunite for gay biker Ferdy's funeral. The cause of his demise remains unexplained (maybe Ramon Tikaram was busy that day) though we do learn that he got it together with Welsh milksop Warren (Jason Hughes) in the years following the end of the series.It is swiftly apparent however that the five original housemates have drifted apart: Anna (Daniella Nardini) is the only practising lawyer and has quickly motored up the ranks of high-class defence attorneys; Miles (Jack Davenport) has acquired a country mansion, a hotel business and a Vietnamese bride; Egg (Andrew Lincoln) has written a best-selling novel based on the gang's experiences and is still with Milly (Amita Dhiri) who has popped a sprog; and Warren is dealing with Ferdy's death admirably thanks to his burgeoning career as a life coach/self help guru.Egg's status as a celebrity author prompts a sexy young filmmaker to organise a reunion between the flatmates at Miles's stately pile as part of a fly-on-the-wall documentary, and this is where the faintly absurd amateur psychology and pent-up tension begins to emerge.But, hey, this is a study in recent social history after all and Jenkins just about gets away with the clichéd set-up largely thanks to the edginess of the group dynamic (which is still as well observed as ever) and the chemistry between Lincoln and Davenport whose old buddy routine provides just about the only realistic friendship of the whole lot of them.Frankly the whole project is little more than an excuse to drum up the old neuroses and insecurities that plague those trying to come to terms with lost youth: Career woman versus housewife? Playboy versus responsible adult? Clapham Common cottager versus weird, over-analysing sperm donor? They are the identity crises that face us all… Still – there is much to enjoy. The soundtrack to Egg's ostentatious cooking routines and the group's booze-fuelled slanging matches has shifted from Massive Attack and Portishead to The Killers and Kaiser Chiefs – the use of contemporary music once again proving integral to This Life's success - but, in a nice conceit, as the action comes to a climax, the whole gang dance around like middle-aged loons to the Manic Street Preachers. Clearly these are nineties children at heart.Whether intentional or not, there is a spooky symmetry between the fates of the characters and their real life alter egos. Miles's success in industry and Egg's fame mirror the career paths of Davenport and Lincoln who clearly didn't need this nostalgic trip down memory lane as much as the others and it is a tribute to their evident respect for Jenkins and the original series that they agreed to the reunion at all.The biggest problem with the show has always been empathy. These people are egotistical, hopelessly unstable and borderline unlikeable - but they perfectly bring out the screwed-up wretch in all of us. One can easily forgive Jenkins her indulgence, for This Life +10 is a triumph of reminiscence and guilty pleasures.

Dodger-9 Few dramas of the Nineties proved to be as memorable as Amy Jenkins' creation. Inspired by her own days as an aspiring lawyer, it centres on a band of upwardly mobile mates all sharing a house in London.Drink, drugs and bad language abound, along with a soundtrack to die for. Tightly scripted and beautifully cast, it was the show which gave the world sexy Scots icon Daniela Nardini (Anna) and The Talented Mr Ripley's Jack Davenport (Miles). The ever bickering old flames provided much of the show's electricity, although there were a few sparks provided by Milly (Amita Dhiri) when she had a fling with her ultra-cool boss O'Donnell (David Mallinson). Most fans were heartbroken when the show's creators, Island World, decided against a third run but executive producer Tony Garnett had learnt his lesson after making seminal early Nineties series, Between the Lines. The far from electrifying third run of that show ensured that he'd never milk a drama if the material wasn't there. For that we should be grateful as TL remains a short-lived gem which, like a fine bottle of wine, is good to the last drop.

jamie-123 This Life is one of the best drama series yet produced by the BBC.It follows the lives of 5 housemates who share a South London town house and never once holds back in terms of sex, language, nudity or attitude. Its candour was the main reason why it was so popular as unlike some sugar coated, problem-resolved-in-an-hour soap-operas it showed life as it really is.This Life only lasted for two series, but could have easily continued. Only the powers-that-be at the BBC know why a third series was never commissioned, but to many it was a loss to British TV.

ldeorio A near-perfect study of life's transitional period between careless partying and responsible adulthood, this addictive British series touches a nerve with anyone who's waged that cumbersome battle. The absorbing characters and first-rate acting draw the viewer in until you feel like you want to jump into the fray yourself. Don't miss this on BBC America.