Netflix’s No. 1 movie is an overlooked Angelina Jolie rom-com — even though critics hated it

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'Life or Something Like It' sees the A-lister play a TV news reporter on a quest to find meaning in her life.

Angelina Jolie in Life or Something Like It
(Image credit: 20th Century Studios)

Angelina Jolie has successfully navigated numerous genres across her decade-spanning career, from high-action flicks like "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" and "Salt" to intense dramas like "Girl, Interrupted" and "A Mighty Heart" to kiddie favorites like "Maleficent" and the "Kung Fu Panda" franchise.

But one genre in which the Oscar winner is woefully underrated is the humble rom-com — in the early days of her career, Jolie popped up in sweet romantic comedies like 1996's "Love is All There Is," 1998's "Playing by Heart" and 2002's "Life or Something Like It," the latter of which has surprised everyone by crashing onto the Netflix top 10 movies list this week.

What is 'Life or Something Like It' about?

In "Life or Something Like It," Angelina Jolie plays a Seattle-based television reporter Lanie Kerrigan, who gets quite the rude wake-up call when Jack (Tony Shalhoub), a self-proclaimed prophet, tells her that not only is she wasting her life but also that she will die in exactly seven days.

When Jack's other prophecies start coming true, Lanie begins to worry that she should put more credence into his words, which sets her off on a journey to reevaluate her priorities — including her relationship with famous baseball player Cal Cooper (Christian Kane) — and try to live a more meaningful life.

Along the way, she reencounters her archenemy, cameraman Pete Scanlon (Edward Burns), with whom she shares a surprising connection that leads to romance. However, when her dream job comes calling from New York City, Lanie has to decide whether her old ambitions are more important than her new approach to life.

The top-flight cast also includes Stockard Channing, James Gammon, Gregory Itzin and a standout Ed Burns to keep things moving.

Should you stream 'Life or Something Like It' on Netflix?

Let it be known: "Life or Something Like It" was not only a commercial failure but also a critical dud.

On the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the title only has a 28% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site’s critical consensus reading: “Though Jolie is appealing, Life or Something Like It is too contrived and predictable to convincingly convey its message of stopping to smell the roses.”

In a particularly harsh write-up, The Observer's Rex Reed wrote that the rom-com was “formulaic, delusional and about as accurate a depiction of life in television news (or something like it) as a Pillsbury bake-off."

That isn’t to say that “Life or Something Like It” isn’t entirely without its charms, and it’s clearly won over Netflix viewers. After the long-forgotten romantic comedy arrived on the steamer on April 13, it quickly rose up the Netflix viewing charts and surprised everyone by claiming the platform’s No. 1 spot.

Perhaps it's proof of the power of millennial nostalgia.

More on Tom's Guide

Christina Izzo
Christina Izzo
Writer

Christina Izzo is a writer-editor covering culture, food and drink, travel and general lifestyle in New York City. She was previously the Deputy Editor at My Imperfect Life, the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York. 

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