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Life

Life

Drama · 2015

In 1955, young photographer Dennis Stock develops a close bond with actor James Dean while shooting pictures of the rising Hollywood star.

Movie details

Life

“From rebel to icon”

2015 Drama 1h 52m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.0 / 10

Community rating

In 1955, young photographer Dennis Stock develops a close bond with actor James Dean while shooting pictures of the rising Hollywood star.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Life?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius

Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius

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The story of golf icon and legend, Bobby Jones, who retired from competition at the tender age of 28.

The Audrey Hepburn Story

The Audrey Hepburn Story

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The film spans from Hepburn's early childhood to the 1950s which details her life as a Dutch ballerina, coming to grips with her parents' divorce, and enduring life in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II. She then settles in the U.S. where she succeeds in making it big as a movie actress, in such movies as Breakfast at Tiffany's.

My Dinner with Hervé

My Dinner with Hervé

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An unlikely friendship evolves over one wild night in LA between a struggling journalist and actor Hervé Villechaize, the world's most famous gun-toting dwarf, resulting in life-changing consequences for both.

TalhotBlond

TalhotBlond

Drama · 2012

Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.

The Happy Prince

The Happy Prince

Drama · 2018

In 1895, Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was the most famous writer in London, and Bosie Douglas, son of the notorious Marquess of Queensberry, was his lover. Accused and convicted of gross indecency, he was imprisoned for two years and subjected to hard labor. Once free, he abandons England to live in France, where he will spend his last years, haunted by memories of the past, poverty and immense sadness.

Resurrecting the Champ

Resurrecting the Champ

Drama · 2007

Up-and-coming sports reporter rescues a homeless man ("Champ") only to discover that he is, in fact, a boxing legend believed to have passed away. What begins as an opportunity to resurrect Champ's story and escape the shadow of his father's success becomes a personal journey as the ambitious reporter reexamines his own life and his relationship with his family.

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

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Bruce Springsteen, a young musician on the cusp of global superstardom, struggles to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past.

Beyond the Sea

Beyond the Sea

Drama · 2004

Based on the life and career of legendary entertainer, Bobby Darin, the biopic moves back and forth between his childhood and adulthood, to tell the tale of his life.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody

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Back to Black

Back to Black

Music · 2024

The extraordinary story of Amy Winehouse’s early rise to fame from her early days in Camden through the making of her groundbreaking album, Back to Black that catapulted Winehouse to global fame. Told through Amy’s eyes and inspired by her deeply personal lyrics, the film explores and embraces the many layers of the iconic artist and the tumultuous love story at the center of one of the most legendary albums of all time.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Anton Corbijn

Written by

Luke Davies

Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson

Dennis Stock

Dane DeHaan

Dane DeHaan

James Dean

Joel Edgerton

Joel Edgerton

John Morris

Ben Kingsley

Ben Kingsley

Jack Warner

Kelly McCreary

Kelly McCreary

Eartha Kitt

Kristian Bruun

Kristian Bruun

Roger Love

Lauren Gallagher

Lauren Gallagher

Natalie Wood

Court is in session

Put Life on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.