If I have a sweet spot in film genre, it's melancholy existential comedy with a sweet romantic twist. This one ticks all those boxes.
I first saw it probably in 2003. I went down a rabbit hole of Ewan McGregor movies. It was still the early-ish days of the internet and I joined a Ewan McGregor fan site and just made lists of movies to see based on the pictures. He was SO cute in Phantom Menace and I wrote him a letter and got an autograph back. I needed to find allll his movies. I bought a bunch sight unseen on Amazon. Nora (also on The List - he plays James Joyce which is a hoot for many reasons I'm sure I'll get into when it comes up), Trainspotting (also on The List), Eye of the Beholder (I sold that one...), and A Life Less Ordinary. I fell hard for this one. It's very much my speed. Weird, frenetic, both hopeful and a little cynical. There's a musical number. Stanley Tucci is in it! Ian Holm (whom I'm realizing I love like I love Bill Paxton - incredible character actor)! There's a weird take on a Christian afterlife overseen by Dan Hedaya! It's Me in a Film Can!
It doesn't totally hold up, though. It's going to work its way back into the rotation because it's So Fun but the dialogue and pacing are a little weak and I never totally believe either of the main characters (not nearly as much as I believe horny angel Holly Hunter, that's for sure), but Ewan and Cameron Diaz are so game and have overwhelming star power. Even with Ewan's bizarre hairstyle (that only gets moderately better with the finale pompadour).
(The lack of available gifs for this movie devastates me.)
I originally watched the film for Ewan's romcom storyline, but really, now it's all about the angels. It's such a full world they've built and it still makes little to no sense! Why is heaven a 1980s NYPD precinct? Why are the angels tasked with making mortals fall in love buddy cop coded? The design of it makes me so so happy. All that matching white. (It's difficult to do!) Delroy Lindo's angel is an enigma but I love him. I love the AUDACITY of his terrible love poem that he has no clue is terrible. I love the way Holly Hunter claws her way up the front of that truck. I love them both (Spoiler!) clawing their way out of the body bags at the end. Why do they live in a repo depot? Are they always stationed there? I don't actually care! It's such a terrific background for their scenes!
Acrylic paint (brush & markers) and gel pens.
Takeaways:
-I'm rather pleased with this one. Between the distinct mid-century modern (in the actual definition) vibe of the repo depot and how mad I've been for El Gato Gomez' work lately (@elgatogomez_art), I wanted to try an early 1960s illustration style. I love simplified illustration in other artists' work but it's something I struggle with in my own. I always gotta add more and more little details. I still did that to an extent on this piece but mostly, pleased.
-The wallpaper is maybe my favorite part, if not in final product but in execution. I couldn't get a clear picture of it from the movie and I couldn't find research images that matched so I had to fake it. It required to me to be a lot looser both in mind and hand than I am comfortable with (I like control and I like being correct) so letting go and letting Dan Hedaya was difficult but I did it and it turned out fine. The scale is off but That's Okay.
-I rearranged the space a little for the sake of illustration and I wish I would have put in a bookshelf. O'Reilly's haphazard piles of books drive me nuts.
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