Life Itself

"Life will surprise you"

2018 1h 58m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 649

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

As a young New York couple goes from college romance to marriage and the birth of their first child, the unexpected twists of their journey create reverberations that echo over continents and through lifetimes.

“Life will surprise you”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Oscar Isaac
Will Dempsey
Olivia Wilde
Abby Dempsey
Annette Bening
Dr. Cait Morris
Antonio Banderas
Vincent Saccione
Samuel L. Jackson
Self
Olivia Cooke
Dylan Dempsey
Mandy Patinkin
Irwin Dempsey
Jean Smart
Linda Dempsey

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dan Fogelman
Writers: Dan Fogelman
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: Spain, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 80% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Spain, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

275+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dan Fogelman, shot by Brett Pawlak. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Federico Jusid. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Julie Monroe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dan Fogelman directs. Brett Pawlak behind the camera. Federico Jusid scores. Julie Monroe cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Spain, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 80% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 8 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4International production across 2 countries: Spain, United States of America.
5275+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Dan Fogelman, shot by Brett Pawlak. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Federico Jusid. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Julie Monroe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Oscar Isaac and Olivia Wilde and Annette Bening carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Life will surprise you".
11IMDB entry: tt5989218 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 10 themes, including "pregnancy", "family relationships", "theme song", "estranged couple".

The technical file

Cinematography: Brett Pawlak
Original score: Federico Jusid
Editing: Julie Monroe
Production design: Gerald Sullivan
Costume design: Melissa Toth
Makeup / hair: JT Franchuk
VFX supervisor: Jean-François Ferland
Sound: Leo Marcil
Stunt coordinator: Chris Cenatiempo
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $7,997,774
Return: 80% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Life Itself (2018)

Also by

Dan Fogelman

Danny Collins
2015 · ★ 6.7

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Community reviews

What people are saying

cityguide2018-09-05
This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman wrote and directed this tear-jerking rom-dram, which looks eerily familiar to the NBC series, give or take a couple A-list cast members (Olivia Wilde, Oscar Isaac, Annette Bening, Mandy Patinkin, Antonio Banderas … breathe). Like Us, the film pulses between the characters’ mysteriously interconnected narratives, which are set between N.Y.C. and Spain
Peter McGinn2020-04-03
★ 7/10
I enjoyed this movie. At times it felt like it was trying to say too much, but still it succeeds in saying a lot of it. I don't think this movie is as bad nor as good as some of the reviews I read before watching it. One negative for me is how many large themes and issues the writing takes on with its complex plot, but conversely, one of its strengths is all of the large themes and issues the movie tackles. In other words, when it works, it really works. There are a lot of sympathetic characters in this saga, and even the few less sympathetic ones are given depth and the opportunity for personal growth during the course of the movie. It seems like interesting choices were made when to translate the Spanish dialogue and when not to, but I don't feel I missed out on important stuff. I think I will watch it again someday just to draw more out of it, catch little things I probably missed, so I guess that means I recommend watching it, doesn't it?
Ben2021-08-29
★ 9/10
Dan Fogelman's Life Itself is as horrible and wonderful as life itself.