A Life Less Ordinary

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A Life Less Ordinary ★★½ 1997 (R)

Third outing from U.K. team of Boyle/Hodge/Macdonald, who made “Shallow Grave” and “Trainspotting,” has hapless janitor Robert (MacGrgor) lose his job, girlfriend, and home. He reacts by kidnapping the boss's daughter Celine (Diaz), who's more upset at Robert's ineptness than anything else. Meanwhile two angels (Hunter and Lindo) are sent to make these two kids fall in love. Confused? You should be. Hodge's script looks like someone threw “It Happened One Night,” “Stairway to Heaven,” outtakes from a Tarantino movie, and a Road Runner cartoon into a blender and hit frappe. Some of the surreal set pieces work, and the MacGregor/Diaz chemistry clicks sporadically, but the overall effect is overkill. Producer MacDonald is the grandson of Emeric Pressberger, codi rector of “Stairway to Heaven.” 103m/C VHS, DVD . Ewan McGregor, Cameron Diaz, Holly Hunter, Delroy Lindo, Ian Holm, Ian McNeice, Stanley Tucci, Dan Hedaya, Tony Shalhoub, Maury Chaykin, Judith Ivey, K.K. Dodds; D: Danny Boyle; W: John Hodge; C: Brian Tufano; M: David Arnold.