A struggling young fisherman is dragged by his best friend to play the guitar at a fancy birthday bash for the wealthy widow of a famous rock star. When his friend gets cold feet on the stage, the fisherman starts belting out the lyrics and stuns the crowd. Impressed, the widow comes up with a plan for her estranged daughter to produce the dude’s music, hoping it would give her daughter some direction and might even help them reconcile. The rest of the story unfolds like a sappy 90s musical romance, making one wonder why such a clichéd plot is called “A Beautiful Life.”
Directed by Mehdi Avaz and written by Stefan Jaworski, the 2023 film “A Beautiful Life” stars Christopher as the protagonist, Elliot, whose life changes when music manager Suzanne (Christine Albeck Børge) discovers his stunning voice. Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas portrays Lilly, Suzanne’s daughter, who agrees to produce Elliot’s music, but the two don’t initially get along well. The initial animosity between Elliot and Lilly felt too clichéd, as if the creators were blatantly signaling to the viewers, “Hey, these two are the main couple; we’re going to make them dislike each other at first, so they can have a wonderful ‘enemies to lovers’ progression.”
Since music is one of the primary themes of the film, some of the tracks are definitely quite catchy, but they aren’t really the kind of songs you’d want to look up on the internet later. The cinematography was refreshingly straightforward, and it was a pleasant change to see a “not so perfect” home portrayed on screen. Elliot’s boat, where he resides, is realistically messy, reflecting the life of a struggling fisherman. However, one can’t help but desire more depth and complexity in the characterization, similar to the detailed and layered sets.
It’s a 4 on 10 from me.
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