actionfilm-2 Yes, negative review here and sure I know, based on a true story, but there are countless true stories out there that actually lead somewhere. The filmmakers thought there was something to be said here, Myself I'm not so sure. Here we get a pair of unstable and socially inept human beings that possess a twisted "love" for one another and we are asked, by way of the filmmaking tone and approach, to sympathize with their "plight". Problem is it was impossible (for me) to warm up to these two even in the slightest. Were the character's interesting? No, not in today's light. Obviously I'm in the minority here as most of the reviews posted loved this film. Now I enjoy nihilism as much as the next person, but this film's attempt to play on one's heartstrings was lost on me here, especially as the music turned sad and sappy at the finale with the pair's predictable fate. A better approach, without sacrificing much in the way of Hollywood's "true story" element, would have been to have celebrated law enforcement's part in protecting the public from their criminal existence, at the very least I'm sure the pair's neighbor's would like to thank the police.

Wizard-8 "Normal Life" was barely given a theatrical release by its studio, Fine Line. That's a shame, because there is a lot that is worthy in this movie. John McNaughton was a good choice to direct this movie, because in "Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer", he showed he had a talent for showing those in lower class positions with low self esteem - just like the two main characters in this movie. These characters have high ambitions and try to do better (at least initially), but they are shot down by themselves and their surrounding society. They want, but don't get, respect. The movie is focused on their insides, not much on what surrounds them like their jobs. They are drawn together because they are two lost souls - they at least have that to share. The two actors are excellent in their roles (Luke Perry sheds his pretty-boy image completely here.) The movie is not perfect - there are a few details that are not explained (like what exactly is used to justify Perry's character's firing from his job.) Also, the movie is a bit too long, more noticeably in the first half of the movie - cutting fifteen or so minutes from the movie would have helped. But despite these faults, the movie is still well worth seeking out.

Claudio Carvalho When the honest and idealistic policeman Chris Anderson (Luke Perry) meets the gorgeous and sexy, but alcoholic and drug addicted Pam (Ashley Judd) in a bar, they date and have great sex. Chris immediately falls in love for Pam and marries her, but the reckless and emotionally unbalanced wife brings troubles to his relationship with his family and spends her credit card in futilities, leading the couple to financial problems. When Chris loses his job in the police department, he concludes that they are insolvent and decides to heist banks to resolve their financial issues.I have just watched "Normal Life" for the second time and my opinion remains the same: it is a great movie, but could be better with a simple modification in the screenplay. In the beginning of the story, the fate of Chris and Pam is unnecessarily disclosed, and the viewer watches the film knowing that the FBI and the police arrest Chris and chase Pam and consequently breaking the tension or the imagination of the viewer. Ashley Judd astonishingly sexy and Luke Perry have great performances and chemistry in this modern Bonnie and Clyde story apparently based on true events. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Fronteiras do Crime" ("Borders of the Crime")

hall895 Normal Life starts out with great promise, with a great burst of energy right at the start. But that energy fizzles out very quickly and what we are left with is a rather bad movie. The film follows a husband and wife who happen to rob banks for a living. The movie begins with their last, ultimately failed, robbery. We see the husband arrested and the wife lead police on a high-speed chase as she attempts to get away. And then we go back in time, back to the beginning, to see how these two ill-fated lovers met and what brought them to the rather unfortunate situation we have just seen. Turns out the husband, Chris, as played by Luke Perry, is a former cop. And the wife, Pam, as played by Ashley Judd, is completely and utterly nuts. A whole team of psychiatrists couldn't help this girl. But Chris thinks he can and he'll do anything to make her happy. Suffice to say their relationship doesn't quite work out as he envisioned. A happily married couple they are not.Eventually Chris loses his job as a cop and starts robbing banks. When Pam discovers what he is doing she is rather excited and suddenly much more enamored with her husband than she had been. And she wants in on the action. So they start robbing banks together and eventually we end up back where we started at the film's beginning. Back where it seemed the film had some promise. But Normal Life never lives up to that promise. It's terribly scripted. Much of the dialogue is utterly ridiculous. The acting leaves much to be desired, most notably with Perry going over the top again and again in his attempts to convey anger and frustration. He's constantly over-emoting and at times it's so laughable it's hard for the viewer to stifle a chuckle. Which is a problem because this is not meant to be a comedy.The seemingly endless confrontations and arguments between Chris and Pam become rather monotonous after a while. It's just the same thing over and over again. Every few minutes the two leads have a fight about something. It's like clockwork. It's also exceedingly dull. The story never moves along. We just spend the whole time watching these two people bicker and watching Pam have one psychotic episode after another. OK, their relationship isn't quite working out, we get it. Move along, please. It's a frustrating movie to watch because it started with such promise and then just does not work at all. You get the feeling it should have been a lot better than it is. As it is it's a rather tedious movie.