RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / Upcoming / The Life Before Her Eyes
The Life Before Her Eyes

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Showtimes & Tickets
  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

The Life Before Her Eyes (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
24 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:91

Fresh:22

Rotten:69

Average Rating:4.4/10

Consensus: Despite earnest performances, Life Before Her Eyes is a confusing, painfully overwrought melodrama.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for violent and disturbing content, language and brief drug use

Runtime: 90 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Apr 18, 2008 Limited

Box Office: $166,373

Synopsis: Imaginative, impetuous and wild, Diana (Evan Rachel Wood) can’t wait for her adult life to begin. Whiling away the final days of high school in the lush springtime, Diana tests her limits with sex... Imaginative, impetuous and wild, Diana (Evan Rachel Wood) can’t wait for her adult life to begin. Whiling away the final days of high school in the lush springtime, Diana tests her limits with sex and drugs as her more conservative friend Maureen (Eva Amurri) watches with concern. But Diana’s aura of invincibility is shattered when a senseless act of violence erupts at school, forever changing the lives of the two best friends. Fifteen years later, a grown Diana (Uma Thurman) is still trying to come to terms with the traumatic events of that fateful day. On the surface, the adult Diana has made a picture perfect life for herself. She’s still living in the sleepy Connecticut suburb she grew up in with her husband Paul, a professor at the local college. Her beautiful young daughter, Emma, is smart and creative, and possesses a fiercely independent streak reminiscent of her mother. But all is not well—as the anniversary of her adolescent trauma approaches, the darkness that Diana has tried to escape closes in. Meanwhile, her husband has become increasingly absent, her daughter has taken to hiding from teachers, and worst of all, Diana’s own grip on reality is starting to falter. Moving seamlessly through both stages of Diana’s evolution, THE LIFE BEFORE HER EYES delves deep into the crossroads that we all face—where a simple decision can change the course of everything to come, and where a lifetime can be encapsulated in a single moment. With THE LIFE BEFORE HER EYES, Vadim Perelman, director of the acclaimed HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, has established himself as one of America’s greatest young directors of serious, probing drama. --© Magnolia [More]

Starring: Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood, Eva Amurri, Oscar Isaac

Starring: Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood, Eva Amurri, Oscar Isaac, Gabrielle Brennan

Director: Vadim Perelman

Director: Vadim Perelman
Screenwriter: Emil Stern
Producer: Vadim Perelman, Aimee Peyronnet, Anthony Katagas
Composer: James Horner
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Trailer
    >
    Trailer #2
    >
1 - 2 of 2

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "SAVE" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Life Before Her Eyes

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
 
 
81 - 92 (sorted by date)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Gorgeous, haunting and thought-provoking ... a solid sophomore effort from Perelman despite its potentially frustrating pace.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
04/15/08
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

In between snorting and rolling your eyes, you can pass the time pitying Thurman, who has to emote in a vacuum, and admiring Wood.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
04/14/08
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
New York Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Audiences used to having everything spelled out for them may find the film too much work, but there are, I hope and believe, many people who appreciate and enjoy unraveling the mysteries of a poem or painting for themselves.

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
04/12/08
Kim Voynar
Kim Voynar
Cinematical

A melodramatic portrait of violence and mourning, Vadim Perelman's disappointing follow-up to House of Sand and Fog turns Laura Kasischke's novel into an overly precious, pseudo-poetic meditation in which the pain of loss is indulged rather than examined.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
04/11/08
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

With over eight months left in the year, it requires a certain audacity to declare that The Life Before Her Eyes is, and will always be, the absolute worst film of 2008 ...

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment 1 Comment
04/08/08
Harry Chotiner
Harry Chotiner
culturevulture.net

Involvement is less than it might have been as sympathy gets nicked away by the effort to resolve the associations and meanings. The search for the "ah hah!" moment is exhausting.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
03/27/08
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

...an intricately-plotted and richly conceived drama...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
10/27/07
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

The trouble lies in the story.

Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
10/04/07
Jon Popick
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Screen International | comment Comment
09/29/07
Screen International

Intermingles the past and present, and the real and the imagined, to intriguing if occasionally head-scratching effect.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
09/18/07
Michael Rechtshaffen
Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Not as profound in its revelations as it wants to be, but with strong acting and a strong visual palette, it's a success.

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
09/15/07
Ryan Stewart
Ryan Stewart
Cinematical

...profoundly confusing In Bloom arrives at some very tenuous moral conclusions that might alienate much of its supposed target audience.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 1 Comment
09/10/07
John Anderson
John Anderson
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
81 - 92 (sorted by date)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5
all

Latest News for The Life Before Her Eyes

September 22, 2008: BloggingSundance.com: An anti-abortion movement propaganda screed masquerading as a teen angst drama. There's apparently a new kind of female road movie out there, called the guilt trip. Opens in new window
More...

February 09, 2008: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

See All

More Movies

Close
Coming Soon
Tomatometer Percentage Movie Date

More…

90% 90% The White Ribbon 12/30
100% 100% Daybreakers 1/8
— Leap Year 1/8
83% 83% Youth in Revolt 1/8
— The Book of Eli 1/15
See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes

New clips from the detective reboot!

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2

Watch the brand new trailer now!

Clash of the Titans

Clash of the Titans

Prepare to Clash with Titans in this trailer!

Total Recall

Total Recall

RT looks back on Jude Law's best movies!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Danny Trejo Talks Machete, Possible Sequels Source: Collider.com
14
  • It's Official: Jackass 3-D Coming in 2010 Source: Collider.com
16
  • Bryan Singer Returning to X-Men for First Class Source: Superhero Hype
102
  • Mark Strong Talks Kick-Ass, John Carter, and Robin Hood Source: Collider.com
1
  • How Avatar Happened: The Path to Innovation Source: CinemaBlend.com
19
  • Rob Marshall Says Pirates 4 Is Still a Maybe Source: ComingSoon.net
32
  • ET Teases Iron Man 2 Teaser Source: Collider.com
28
  • Tobey Maguire Refutes Hobbit Rumors Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
  • Prince of Persia Featurette Posted Source: Yahoo! Movies
4
  • Trailer Bulletin: Robin Hood Source: ComingSoon.net
61
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Critics Consensus: Avatar Is Certified Fresh
311
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Avatar Soars to #1 Spot
259
  • Brittany Murphy: 1977-2009
111
  • Total Recall: James Cameron Movies
90
  • Five Favorite Films With Peter Jackson
55
  • Weekly Ketchup: Bryan Singer Teaches X-Men: First Class
44
  • Awards Tour 2009: SAG Nominations Are In!
43
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: District 9 and (500) Days of Summer
29
  • Total Recall: Jude Law's Best Movies
18
  • Friday Harvest: Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes, and more!
14
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Five Favorite Films With Peter Jackson
55
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
21
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
16
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
24
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • The Life Before Her Eyes at Rotten Tomatoes
  • The Life Before Her Eyes at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
MSN's Year in Review
MSN's Year in Review External Link

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

Moviefone's Year End Poll
Moviefone's Year End Poll External Link

What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!

Tarantino's Characters
Tarantino's Characters External Link

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

Top 10 Movies of 2009
Top 10 Movies of 2009 External Link

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Top 20 of the Decade
Top 20 of the Decade External Link

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo
About Us | Advertise | Contact Us | Press | Careers
IGN | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | Direct2Drive | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Game Sites | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | GIGA.DE | What They Play | Battlefield Heroes
By continuing past this page, and by your continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. | Support | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! RSS Feeds
IGN’s enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA.
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.