fiona_r_lamb
I only watched this movie because it's August and there's nothing new on television. I am also a film buff AND enjoy photography which is why I kept watching even tho' I thought it was rather tedious and boring in the end.Firstly, the actor portraying Dean was nothing like him really and he didn't make me believe. And he was so sleepy and mumbly it made me wonder how on earth James Dean ever got a film contract in the first place.Secondly, the vomiting over his son scene (Stock) was revolting.Thirdly, when they got to Dean's childhood farm home in Indiana and visited the town I could not stop thinking about where it was actually filmed as it looked so familiar to me and so Southern Ontario. And sure enough it was!!! Lastly, Ben Kingsley as Jack Warner. Ick. Talk about chewing the scenery.Best thing about the film were the real photos in the credits.
mashuganut
I wanted to like this movie, in fact I would have liked this movie but for one very important thing: To watch this portrayal of James Dean by someone with such little charisma and animal magnetism and sorry Dane Dehaan "sex appeal" play someone like James Dean was just painful to watch, and utterly disappointing. I am not saying he is not a fine actor - IN ANOTHER ROLE - but let's get real, James Dean would have never been THE James Dean had he not been swoon-worthy, on screen and off, and I'm sorry but that simply does not apply to Dane Dehaan, at least in this role. (I haven't seen him in anything else that I can recall so I can't say he isn't fine in another role.) Unbelievable and unrealistic that any studio or the masses would have been pursuing THIS James Dean. The movie had so much potential but this unfortunate casting choice for the single most important part in the film killed it for me.
Dylan Webb
You could say this movie portrays the lives of Dean and Stock superbly. You could also say that the acting was phenomenal. While both of those have the possibility to be true, I gave this a 3/10 simply because the casting. This is another primary example of a movie story with GREAT potential, but has common, well-known actors. James Dean looks like a villain in the movie, and I think Stock is going to bite Dean after every picture he takes. This film just reminds me of the Dean documentary from 2001 starring James Franco. I can only hope that one day in the near future, a better, well-casted documentary comes out. As an upcoming actor and great fan of James Dean, I hope to audition for such a role.
Jimmy Dean
The fact that my name is actually James Dean may come of as a cliché but it really isn't. Dane Dehaan captures Deans essence of carelessness at the beginning and his evolvement of becoming the actor he is now known for. Pattison plays a struggling father and stressful photographer who assigns himself the project of making James Dean a star by shooting a series of photos of Dean showing the world what he was like behind the camera. From Deans Hollywood stardom at the beginning to him and Dennis going back to where it all began for Dean in Indiana, Life is a subtle and beautiful look at the young stars game before he met his sad death so young. Life is a 2015 must see. If Dehaan doesn't even get an Oscar nomination for best actor I will be fuming. Everyone go see Life. It's brilliant.
AD
