Life or Something Like It

Angelina Jolie shows off the lighter side of her considerable acting talent in this re-prioritization comedy about an ambitious, showbiz-shallow, platinum blonde fluff reporter for a Seattle TV news station who takes it to heart when a homeless street guy named Prophet Jack predicts her death. In trying to make up for lost time in life, she develops an entertaining love-hate relationship with her smarmy-charmy, laid-back, flannel-clad, 5-o'clock-shadow cameraman (Edward Burns), delivering bitingly flirtatious rejoinders like a whip-smart dame from a Howard Hawks movie. But after spending an amusing, somewhat unconventional, few reels letting the characters drive the plot, director Stephen Herek (Rock Star) slips into banal romantic comedy platitudes that come close to ruining the movie. Otherwise appealing, the picture leaves a bad taste in your mouth after it loses its soul to Screenwriting for Dummies conformity. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include the option of widescreen or full screen versions, and audio commentary by director Stephen Herek. Bottom line: a less-than-stellar extras package for a less-than-stellar romance flick.] (R. Blackwelder)