That's Life!

While I appreciated the slice of life - pun intended - shown in the Blake Edwards drama That's Life!, I was disappointed on one aspect: Julie Andrews wasn't given much to do. The story could have been focused on her, since her conflict is extremely worrisome, but instead everyone's energy was sucked into Jack Lemmon's selfishness. If this were the first Jack Lemmon movie I'd ever seen, I'm not sure I'd be able to get over his despicable character and believe him in other, far more likable roles. Self-centered, negative, draining, critical, rude, and downright mean to those who love him - only to be sorry, cry, and feel sorry for himself later. Widely speculated to be a semi-autobiographical film (because both Julie's and Jack's children played their children on the screen, and it was filmed in the Edwards's Malibu home), I hope the rumors are merely that. If Blake Edwards had that many problems and took them out on his wife on a daily basis, poor Julie was terribly abused.

Julie's character is a famous singer worried about losing her voice. The start of the film shows her in a hospital room getting her throat scraped for a biopsy, and as she has decided not to tell anyone about her potential health problem, she's completely alone with her feelings. She and Jack go out to dinner that evening, and she's unable to eat. He notices her lack of appetite but doesn't notice her touching her throat constantly; his only reaction is that he hopes she isn't coming down with a cold so he doesn't catch it. She receives no sympathy, no attention, and continually pours herself into her husband and her adult children. As the screenplay is written, she doesn't actually have a character at all. She's just a bottle of glue, keeping everything together. Given the seriousness of her situation, the focus could (and should) have been about her, instead of tending to her husband's constant whining and spewing meanness. She certainly had the acting chops to handle a heavy health crisis, especially since it was a sensitive subject that would soon hit far too close to home.

That's Life! Contains good acting and a tough script that sheds a light on the inner turmoil of a successful man who damages those around him. It's no wonder his wife was having a throat problem, since she didn't feel like she had a voice in her marriage. You'll get to see sweet family connections, and some beautiful '80s fashions, but if you want Julie Andrews to get the spotlight, rent Duet for One.

"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

There are some movies you just get a good feeling about, and this (for me) is one of them. In every comment I've read here, though, no one mentioned the scene between Julie Andrews and Emma Walton, who are mother and daughter in real life and in the movie. Emma's character has just broken up with her boyfriend, and she spends the whole weekend in a bad mood until she finally breaks down crying and must be comforted by Julie's character. Lifetime channel, take note: sappy mother-daughter scenes work out best when you: 1-get real-life mother-daughter pairs and 2-let the mother (regardless of whether #1 is true or not) just speak from her heart. That's what Blake Edwards had enough sense to do, and it makes for one of the most touching mother-daughter scenes ever. Granted, Blake Edwards actually lived with these two people, so he may have had a better knowledge of their relationship and what would work, but most older actresses are mothers and could probably be capable of something similar. The rest of the film is great as well, with great performances all around, and a hilarious rambling from Jack at the beginning while he describes to Julie how his day at work went. This is the first movie that made my laugh and cry simultaniously (when Jack says he wanted to "bicycle himself to death"), and for that and the scene between Julie and Emma, watch this movie. It's way better than the box office will lead you to believe.

Speaking as a Jack Lemmon fan I think this movie is one of his worst. Jack and Julie make a nice couple but aren't able to make this film work. I expected much more from a movie directed by Blake Edwards, music by Henry Mancini (the Pink Panther Series) and two very good actors Jack Lemmon and Julie Andrews.

Apart from the nice scenery, the entire movie is a failure. The plot is average, the characters are absolutely flat and Jack's constant swearing (which annoyed me so much I kept track), didn't give me the slightest feeling I was watching anything worthwhile.

Do yourself a favor and skip this movie, if you can!

Don't be surprised if you have never heard of "That's Life." It came and went quickly in 1988.

Jack Lemmon stars as a hypochondriac who is turning 60 and believes death is just around the corner. Of course nothing could be further from the truth. His wife is Julie Andrews as a singer who awaits the results of a test to see if she has cancer. But Lemmon is so wrapped up with his troubles his fails to realize his wife may be the one actually sick.

I know the description makes the film sound down and depressing. Nothing can be further from the truth!! As directed by Blake ("10," "Pink Panther") Edwards, the film is laced with comedy to relieve the tension for the audience as well as Julie Andrews.

This is a film for adults. It tackles real issues in real ways. The performances are all terrific and the mixture of comedy and drama are just right. It makes the film a qualified success.