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The Life Before This

Play trailer Poster for The Life Before This R Released Sep 15, 1999 1h 32m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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80% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Fate brings a lawyer (Joe Pantoliano), an exterminator (Stephen Rea), a dressmaker (Catherine O'Hara), a student and others together for tragedy.

Critics Reviews

View All (5) Critics Reviews
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 3/5 Sep 15, 2005 Full Review Christabel Padmore Apollo Guide Rated: 75/100 Jul 24, 2001 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews This one's a turkey. Rated: D Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Christopher Null Filmcritic.com Rated: 3.5/5 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review National Post Rated: 3/4 Jan 1, 2000 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member The Life Before This has got to be one of the most underrated films of all time and it's such a shame that it isn't more well known. The film starts off with a shooting rampage at a coffee shop, which kills multiple people, and then the film follows the lives of multiple characters in the short time span leading up to the tragic event. While the film is a bit undercooked around the edges, it is an absolutely beautiful and compelling mess of a film with many great ideas that could have been reached their full potential had this film perhaps had a longer running time. I loved how it explored the lives of its fascinating characters whose lives are spiralling out of control even before the tragic event. It's a beautiful film and also an extremely underrated one. It might be somewhat flawed, but I do believe that it certainly worth seeing at least once because it is a unique and compelling film. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member I thought this was great. Don't bother with it if you only love bloated, overdramatized Hollywood films with overdeveloped plots. And don't watch it if you're only looking for entertainment. No offense intended... I love that stuff, too. This caught my breath. It was a relief to watch something so poignant after all the shmatlz I've seen of late. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Certainly random and unconnected. No plot as such that I could determine. Still, quite touching. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Good premise. Bad execution. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Didn't see all of it. looked good. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Sad, eye opening film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Life Before This

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Cast & Crew

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The Life Before This

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Movie Info

Synopsis Fate brings a lawyer (Joe Pantoliano), an exterminator (Stephen Rea), a dressmaker (Catherine O'Hara), a student and others together for tragedy.
Director
Jerry Ciccoritti
Producer
Ilana Frank
Screenwriter
Semi Chellas
Distributor
First Look
Production Co
Thump Productions
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 15, 1999, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 30, 2017
Runtime
1h 32m