The movie Angelina Jolie made to prove a point: “Everything that I hate”
You don’t get to be the highest-paid actress in the world on three separate occasions without making some savvy business choices. Just ask Angelina Jolie. As well as starring performances in the Tomb Raider franchise and movies like Mr & Mrs Smith and Maleficent, the noted humanitarian has also enjoyed supporting roles in the Kung Fu Panda series and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She isn’t the main focus, but she’s still making big bank.
Sometimes, though, you have to take a risk, especially if you’re an actor. In 2002, a number of years into her blockbuster career, Jolie took a job starring in an obscure romantic comedy titled Life or Something Like It. She plays Lanie Kerrigan, a selfish reporter who becomes convinced that she is going to die soon following an interview with a prophet. Not wanting to waste her final days, Lanie embarks on a quest to bring meaning to her previously inconsiderate life.
This was the first time Jolie had ever attempted a comedy. In an interview with Style, she offered three reasons why she wanted to take on such an unexpected role. One of them was that she was keen to prove she could make people laugh, something she had been told she wouldn’t be able to do. Another was that she “liked the message” of the film, which is about as cliched a response as you can get, and then there was answer number three.
“Lanie’s everything that I hate,” she revealed. “She’s very false in many ways, but when things go wrong, instead of retreating, she just gets more determined in the gym, more flamboyant and a little more like, ‘Fuck all this shit! I’m fabulous!’ But her life is a wreck. She’s rude, condescending, and awful. Hopefully, you’ll love to hate her.” Over the course of the film, Lanie undergoes the transformation she desires. She ends up making amends with a former lover (Edward Burns) and realising that she has been prioritising all the wrong things in life. Yes, it’s just as saccharin as it sounds.
Jolie wasn’t just an established action hero by this point, having starred in the first Tomb Raider the year before, but had already achieved the ultimate accolade. She won ‘Best Supporting Actress’ at the Oscars for her role in Girl, Interrupted in 2000. Not many Academy Award winners would have taken such a risky role only two years from their big win. You’ve got to admire her for her courage.
Unfortunately, reviewers didn’t share Jolie’s enthusiasm for Life or Something Like It. The movie was roundly mocked for its dumb premise, predictable script, and unconvincing performances from the likes of Tony Shalhoub and Stockard Channing. Jolie herself didn’t escape criticism, scoring her second of four nominations for the Golden Raspberry for ‘Worst Actress’. The film also failed to make any sort of profit at the box office. In no uncertain terms, it was a complete and utter flop.
In the years since, Jolie has appeared in comic roles or funny movies but never fronted a conventional comedy ever again. Whether Life or Something Like It completely put her off the idea or the chance just hasn’t come up again remains to be seen, but when she looks over her career, at least she can say she tried.
