An Unfinished Life (2005)

A down on her luck woman, desperate to provide care for her daughter, moves in with her father in-law from whom she is estranged. Through time, they learn to forgive each other and heal old wounds.

Director:

Lasse Hallström

Writers:

Mark Spragg, Virginia Korus Spragg

Stars:

Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, Morgan Freeman

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Redford	...	Einar Gilkyson
Jennifer Lopez	...	Jean Gilkyson
Morgan Freeman	...	Mitch Bradley
Josh Lucas	...	Crane Curtis
Damian Lewis	...	Gary Winston
Camryn Manheim	...	Nina
Becca Gardner	...	Griff Gilkyson
Lynda Boyd	...	Kitty
Rob Hayter	...	Deputy
P. Lynn Johnson	...	Shelter Supervisor
Byron Lucas	...	Motorcycle Rider
Trevor Moss	...	Griffin Gilkyson
R. Nelson Brown	...	Kent (as Rnelsonbrown)
Dillard Brinson	...	Gnome Owner
Jason Diablo	...	Customer #1

Storyline

In order to escape from the abusive boy-friend, Gary Winston, Jean Gilkyson moves with her young daughter Griff Gilkyson without previous notice to the ranch of her father-in-law Einar Gilkyson in Wyoming. Jean and Einar are disaffected, since he blames her for the death of his beloved son in a car accident. Einar is taking care of his friend Mitch Bradley, who was attacked and seriously wounded by a bear, and he does not know that he has a grand-daughter. While Mitch heals his wounds and forgives the bear, Einar also changes his feelings regarding Jean, finally understanding that accidents happen and accepting her and loving his grand-daughter.

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Plot Keywords:

bear | friend | car accident | wyoming | ranch | 

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Taglines:

every secret takes on a life of its own

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence including domestic abuse, and language

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [us] Official Facebook

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 November 2005 (Germany)

Also Known As:

En dag i livet

Filming Locations:

Ashcroft, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$216,658 (Brazil) (17 March 2006)

Gross:

$551,809 (Brazil) (31 March 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Revolution Studios, Initial Entertainment Group (IEG)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christopher Young originally scored the film but his score was later rejected and replaced.

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Goofs

In the scene where Griff and her mom are arguing at Nina's house, Griff's hair is in front of her ear in one shot and the next it's tucked behind.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Einar Gilkyson: [talking to raccoon] I heard you interfering little bastards rummage around my yard. I'll thank you for keeping the owls off of my cats.

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Connections

Features Below (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Honeysuckle Sweet"
(2004)
Written by Jessi Alexander and Sally Barris
Performed by Jessi Alexander
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Don't miss this movie! How wonderful to see a movie with people facing problems we all face! Great!

I saw a preview of this movie last night. I have been an admirer of both Redford and Freeman for years. They are a marvelous team. I was moved by their banter and by the the caring relationship that is a result of forty years of friendship. Both give Oscar-worthy performances. Jennifer Lopez was surprisingly good as the victim of domestic abuse. The little girl who played her daughter was also excellent.

As my sister and I left the theater, a woman with a clipboard was asking for comments. We both said, "It was great." She answered, "That's what everybody is saying. They liked the story and the actors."

Don't miss this movie! We need more movies that focus on people, not explosions, special effects and gore.

Margaret