it's an ambitious film, but unfortunately, an unqualified misfire; even in failure, it's clear that Fogelman has talent and can work with actors - it's just that his story is so unwieldy that it doesn't allow us to relate to his characters
it's a movie made for people who can't be trusted to understand any storytelling unless it's not just spoon-fed but ladled on, piled high, and explained via montage and voiceover
even the excellent cast can't save this well-intentioned but maudlin tearjerker from feeling like an emotionally manipulative melodrama. Unlike "This Is Us", where the sentimentality works.. "Life Itself" feels mawkish
by David Lewis [San Francisco Chronicle ]
