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An Unfinished Life (2005)

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Average Rating: 5.9/10
Reviews Counted: 140
Fresh: 74 | Rotten: 66

A story of disjointed family members yearning for true emotional depth, An Unfinished Life teeters between overtly saccharine sentiments and moments of real intimacy.

Average Rating: 5.4/10
Critic Reviews: 32
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 18

A story of disjointed family members yearning for true emotional depth, An Unfinished Life teeters between overtly saccharine sentiments and moments of real intimacy.

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Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 59,190

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Movie Info

Two generations of a damaged family are brought together in this emotional drama. Einar Gilkyson (Robert Redford) was a once successful rancher whose spread went to seed after he developed a serious drinking problem. Now on the wagon, Einar looks after what's left of his spread with his friend Mitch (Morgan Freeman), a one-time cowhand who never fully recovered after being mauled by a bear. Einar once had a son named Griffin, but he died in a car wreck while Griffin's wife, Jean (Jennifer

PG-13, 1 hr. 47 min.

Drama

Directed By: Lasse Hallstr�m

Written By: Mark Spragg

In Theaters: Sep 9, 2005 Wide

On DVD: Apr 11, 2006

Box Office:$8.5M

Miramax Films

The picture has no discernible reason for being. It's impossible to identify with characters who seem so fond of their own misery, they can't be bothered to communicate even the most basic facts about themselves.

September 24, 2005 Full Review Source: Toronto Star

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Peter Howell

Toronto Star

Top Critic

By the conclusion, the movie turns into the ursine answer to Free Willy, veering dangerously close to New Age parody.

September 23, 2005 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail

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Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

Top Critic

Manages to be both moving and poignant largely because of the superb acting, cinematography and direction.

September 12, 2005 Full Review Source: CNN.com

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(CNN.com) Paul Clinton

CNN.com

Top Critic

The picture is outrageously predictable and somewhat poky, but there's also something admirably bold about the way it so adamantly demands we swallow its hokum.

September 9, 2005 Full Review Source: Salon.com

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Stephanie Zacharek

Salon.com

Top Critic

Redford and Freeman have a relaxed rapport -- watch their expressions when Griff asks them if they're gay -- but the script keeps giving them unspeakable lines to utter.

September 9, 2005 Comment (1)

Peter Travers

Rolling Stone

Top Critic

The grizzly may have mauled Mitch, but by the end, that metaphor has mauled us.

September 9, 2005 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

Sure, it's a glorified Hallmark movie with a great cast, but in spite of it all, An Unfinished Life struck a chord with me.

April 29, 2009 Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed

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Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

Sentimental drama; not likely to interest kids.

July 24, 2008 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media

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Cynthia Fuchs

Common Sense Media

A modern-day Western from Lasse Hallstrom which doesn't measure up to the best of the three-time Oscar-nominee's work, but is, nonetheless, a beautifully filmed panoramic production with a plot compelling enough to recommend.

July 16, 2007 Full Review Source: Princeton Town Topics

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Kam Williams

Princeton Town Topics

It's any director's job to tell the actors how to feel, but never a good idea to ask the same of the audience.

May 26, 2007 Full Review | Comment

Prairie Miller

Long Island Press

It's any director's job to tell the actors how to feel, but never a good idea to ask the same of the audience.

May 9, 2007 Full Review Source: Long Island Press

| Comment

Prairie Miller

Long Island Press

There's a touching subplot about Redford's relationship with Morgan Freeman's crippled ranch-hand, and some nonsense about the capture and liberation of an enigmatic bear.

January 20, 2007 Full Review Source: Observer [UK]

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Mark Kermode

Observer [UK]

An Unfinished Life takes us on the journey from the stifling prison of resentment to the freedom and healing of reconciliation. It's a trip worth taking.

November 10, 2006 Comment

Carolyn Arends

Christianity Today Source: Christianity Today

There's something strangely poignant about watching Robert Redford trying to be Clint Eastwood.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Guardian [UK]

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Xan Brooks

Guardian [UK]

Call it "the Sundance effect," in which sentimental family drama blossoms amid a scenic, pastoral American landscape, with all its connotations of unspoiled purity and rejuvenation.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

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Time Out

An Unfinished Life isn't going to win any prizes for originality, yet despite the derivative feel - and some hokey melodrama - it's still a solidly entertaining film.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Daily Mirror [UK]

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David Edwards

Daily Mirror [UK]

A wistful smalltown drama, this is predictable and pleasant, with enjoyable performances. It suffers from heavy-handed symbolism, but as an undemanding mainstream movie it has its simple pleasures.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Empire Magazine

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Anna Smith

Empire Magazine

If the story seems overly familiar, it's because it's basically Heidi. Okay, so a couple of extra characters have been added and there's a great big bear instead of all that business with the wheelchair, but [it's] essentially the same.

June 17, 2006 Full Review Source: ViewLondon

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Matthew Turner

ViewLondon

Un drama familiar previsible, inofensivo y hermosamente fotografiado, con buen elenco y poco m�s a destacar.

June 5, 2006 Full Review Source: Uruguay Total

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Enrique Buchichio

Uruguay Total

Director Lasse Hallstr�m and the cast (including Morgan Freeman as Redford's hired hand and Josh Lucas as the local sheriff) respond with great work-in Redford's and Lopez's cases, their best ever.

May 12, 2006 Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review

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Jim Lane

Sacramento News & Review

This is a phenomenal character study of the grief of a father and the guilt of a friend. If you find it's unfolding too slowly for you, just focus on the wonderful performances by Redford and Freeman, and they'll pull you through.

May 12, 2006 Full Review Source: Bullz-Eye.com

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Will Harris

Bullz-Eye.com

If only the bulk of the film focused on the grizzly and not the deplorable people.

April 30, 2006 Full Review Source: 7M Pictures

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Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

Yes, I found it slow-paced and at times laboriously formulaic, but I also found it appealing and warmhearted, a family picture despite its occasional harsh word.

April 7, 2006 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis

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John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

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Audience Reviews for An Unfinished Life

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A good drama that indicates the significance of forgiveness, and how it can be tough than vengeance sometimes.Einar (Robert Redford) is the father-in-law of Jean (Jennifer Lopez) whose husband dies in a car accident while she was driving. She leaves her husband's house soon after the incident, but returns years later

January 20, 2011

familiar stranger

Super Reviewer

Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Robert Redford, Becca Gardner, Damian Lewis, Morgan Freeman, Josh Lucas, Camryn Manheim Director:Lasse Hallstr�m Summary: When her husband dies, grieving widow Jean Gilkyson (Jennifer Lopez) moves herself and her daughter, Griff (Becca Gardner), into the Wyoming home of her estranged

July 20, 2009

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Super Reviewer

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