Life

A dull biopic that although doesn't fall into too many pitfalls or formulas of the sub-genre, it is just very bland and the relationship between these two men at its core isn't very interesting or satisfying to watch. The best you can say about this film is that it's handsome and the acting is rather good, but overall it's aimless.

Don't know if it was deliberate of not, but Life (2015) de-iconized the icon. The entire drama seems to ride on the legendary aura of James Dean, but through Dane DeHaan you never feel the James Dean we've come to idolize. Robert Pattinson role feels more real, and in it's simplicity there is a beating heart here, but I'm not sure it was beating the way they had intended.

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Kind of odd that Corbijn would go back to these biopics after how great A Most Wanted Man was. Not even as good as the Curtis biopic but still entertaining.

Dane DeHaan as James Dean? Give me a break.

Not bad.

Oh my god how insufferable was James Dean.

Reminded me a lot of David Foster Wallace's biopic, The End of the Tour. There are more parallels than I can count. There's really not much going on in either film--merely a snapshot of the final days of two legends in their own right. They're both arguably kind of slow and don't attempt to be plot driven. They're quiet films that erase the mystique of celebrity and make each subject accessible by showing them in their natural Midwestern habitat where they both seem to have been most at peace.

That rare movie where every single actor shines. The atmosphere is downbeat, almost moody, but it works like a charm.