![]() ![]() Lasse Hallström directed An Unfinished Life. The particulars of this one made it interesting to experience because the characters and circumstances are well-drawn and well-played. Stories about grief and forgiveness are so real, so human, so universal. ![]() I liked the film as much the second time as I did the first. The film was shot in Canada, but the ranch and surrounding hills look enough like Wyoming to be convincing. The acting was superlative, as you would expect from a stellar cast like this one. The passing days bring changes to every one of characters as they explore their grief and pain face to face, get to know each other, and have adventures with bears. That was a long plot setup for what follows as Jean works at Nina’s cafe and saves enough money to go somewhere else. Meanwhile, the sheriff takes Jean up on her offer of commitment-free sex. The handsome sheriff (Lucas) promises to be on the lookout for Gary the abuser, who indeed does show up. Excellent acting from a fine cast, especially Morgan Freeman (as always. She goes into town and gets a waitress job from Nina (Manheim).Įveryone in town remembers Jean, remembers the wreck that killed her husband. Story about character differences and the (in)ability to forgive and forget the past. He didn’t even know he had a grandchild who looks just like her dad. She was driving when they had a wreck that killed his son. The first thing he says when he sees the two of them walking up is, “I don’t want you here.”Įinar and his ranch hand of many years Mitch (Freeman) are living out their days with one milk cow, one horse, a pickup truck that runs only sometimes, and the need to care daily for Mitch who was mauled by a bear about a year ago.Įinar blames Jean for the death of his son. Out of desperation, Jean takes her daughter to her father-in-law Einar’s (Redford) tumbledown wreck of a ranch in Wyoming. They abandoned the car and everything in it except what they could stuff in plastic bags. The car broke down in the middle of nowhere. Apparently the promise was to leave Gary, because mother and daughter packed their belongings and drove off in a clunker of a car. When he beats up Jean yet again, Griff reminds her mother that the last time it happened she promised. Robert Redford stars as a man who, having lost his only son in a car accident a decade earlier, is satisfied to spend the last of his days in a rundown. The basic plot: Jean Gilkyson (Lopez) and her 8 year old daughter Griff (Gardner) live with Gary, an abusive boyfriend (Lewis). The different characters experience grief in their own ways, cling to it in their own ways, and ultimately work through it in their own ways. The film also features Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Josh Lucas, Damian Lewis, Camryn Manheim, and young Becca Gardner. Jennifer Lopez isn’t the only attraction. When I saw it on Netflix, I thought Why not give it another try? It’s crazy hard to find anything with a good lead female character on Netflix, and here was An Unfinished Life with Jennifer Lopez just waiting. An Unfinished Life was adapted from the novel of the same name by Mark Spragg.I watched 2005’s An Unfinished Life years ago and remember liking it. But old trouble makes its way back to town in two ways - Gary tracks down Jean and wants to make her pay for leaving him, while the bear who attacked Mitch comes down from the mountains looking for new prey. Einar reluctantly takes in Jean and Griff, giving them a place to stay as Jean looks for work and tries to put her life back together. ![]() Jean has become involved with a violent man named Gary (Damian Lewis), and seeks refuge on Einar's ranch for the safety of her daughter, Griff (Becca Gardner). Einar once had a son named Griffin, but he died in a car wreck while Griffin's wife, Jean (Jennifer Lopez), was driving Einar never forgave her for the death, and he had never met the granddaughter she was carrying until she arrived at his doorstep 11 years later. 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 Gilkyson (Robert Redford) was a once successful rancher whose spread went to seed after he developed a serious drinking problem. Two generations of a damaged family are brought together in this emotional drama. ![]()
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