Jennifer Aniston plays a discarded wife in Life of Crime, new adaptation of Elmore Leonard novel
REVIEW: Life of Crime may be a low-rent version of American Hustle, but Jennifer Aniston and her co-stars will get your attention.
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Life of Crime (M)
Director: Daniel Schechter (Supporting Characters)
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Tim Robbins, John Hawkes, Isla Fisher, Will Forte.
Rating : ***
Take my wife? Please.
Though a decidedly down-market adaptation of the great Elmore Leonard crime novel Switch, Life of Crime is never down-and-out.
Jennifer Aniston stars as Mickey, the trophy wife of a well-to-do husband named Frank (Tim Robbins). He is already contemplating a younger, thinner replacement for the marital mantelpiece, his mischievous mistress Melanie (Isla Fisher).
So when Mickey is kidnapped by two C-grade crooks and held to ransom, it suits her slimy spouse just fine to leave her exactly where she is.
A convoluted collection of other colourful characters — always a strong suit of the late author’s writing — proceed to further scramble an already messy situation.
If any of these lowlifes seem faintly familiar, there is a good reason. A number of them featured in the Quentin Tarantino movie Jackie Brown, which was adapted from another Elmore Leonard book, Rum Punch.
If pushed, it is not unfair to declare Life of Crime is best viewed as a low-rent cousin of American Hustle: perhaps not as flashy or trashy, but still capable of stealing off with your full attention.
Of the featured cast, Aniston arguably gets the best treatment from a cluttered, yet well-crafted script. However, she is given a run for her money by Will Forte, last seen in a different (but equally effective) guise in last summer’s Nebraska.
Originally published as Jennifer Aniston plays a discarded wife in Life of Crime, new adaptation of Elmore Leonard novel
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