Once in the Life Reviews
July 17, 2005
Original Score: 2/5
August 16, 2002
It reeks of staged theater: three men in one room talking endlessly.
Original Score: 2/4
April 9, 2001
Original Score: 52/100
January 1, 2000
The pingpong repetition of dialogue is more precious than poetic and heavy silences and actorly asides draw out a slim story that packs few dramatic surprises.
Original Score: 6/10
January 1, 2000
While the line-readings are often dead-on, Fishburne's movie suffers from the usual one-room claustrophobia and Mametian repetitions.
January 1, 2000
Needlessly convoluted storytelling, talkiness and misplaced narrative emphasis.
January 1, 2000
Serves only to demonstrate that Fishburne, a talented, inventive actor, is, unfortunately, not ready to write and direct motion pictures.
January 1, 2000
Never loses its identity as a work meant strictly for the stage.
Full Review
| Original Score: 7/10
January 1, 2000
The script bogs itself down in reminiscing passages that steal Life's soul.
January 1, 2000
A hit-and-miss effort.
January 1, 2000
Despite numerous cutaways to juice things up, a movie that once moved becomes static and verbal in the stretch.
January 1, 2000
Without a coherent story to hold our attention, the mood of somber, lower-depths desperation soon becomes monotonous.
Original Score: 2/5
January 1, 2000
The film doesn't have a lot to offer that hasn't been done better -- and worse -- in hundreds of ghetto-sink shoot-em.
January 1, 2000
In opening up his play for a filmed version, Once in the Life, Fishburne may have only succeeded in magnifying the flaws of his original.
January 1, 2000
Strictly for die-hard Fishburne fans, and even they might be getting awfully fidgety by the end.
January 1, 2000
Billy's meltdown provides a real-time reality check, but for most of the time we're waiting for the payoff, and when it comes, I'm afraid, it's not very satisfying.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2/4
January 1, 2000
Not embarrassing, just not all that interesting, either.
January 1, 2000
The good news is that Fishburne also stars, and has recruited a talented group of actors to flesh out the cast; the bad news is that no one seems to have been on hand to help out with the rest of film.
Full Review
| Original Score: 2/5