Life Itself

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2:26

Life Itself

R

2018

2h 15m

Comedy

Drama

Romance

Crime

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

12%

Tomatometer

153 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

College sweethearts Will and Abby fall in love, get married and prepare to bring their first child into the world. As their story unfolds in New York, fate links them to a group of people in Seville, Spain, including a troubled young woman, a man and his granddaughter, a wealthy landowner and a plantation manager.

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Critics Consensus

A mawkish melodrama that means less the more it tries to say, Life Itself suggests writer-director Dan Fogelman's talents are best suited to television.

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Robbie Collin

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

Jan 12, 2019

Every big dramatic moment is sapped of all its energy entirely.

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Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Jan 6, 2019

1/5

The film's indulgences are so heart-on-sleeve that it's hard to differentiate watching it from hearing someone pitch their very bad screenplay ideas with no attempt to read the room...

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

Jan 5, 2019

1/5

Despite the suffering ladled on to the characters, I remained stonily unmoved throughout.

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Calum Cooper

Source (Scotland)

Jul 14, 2024

1/5

The film is trying to show how one thing can impact several lives for better and for worse. This isn’t a bad idea, and there are occasional bursts of appeal scattered about. But the execution is hopelessly barbaric.

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Ryan McQuade

InSession Film

Apr 3, 2024

F

The most insulting and manipulative movie of the year.

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M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

Aug 16, 2022

1.5/5

Life Itself is too self-indulgent, sappy, and overly sentimental for its own good. By the last third, it becomes manipulative and even tedious.

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ben F.

@BenFranz Jun 20, 2026

I tried, I really did. Great cast. Awful movie.

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Gabriel F

@GabrielFuentes Feb 8, 2026

One of the most touching movies I’ve ever seen, definitely a must for anyone.

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Burcin A.

@brcnkbraa Jan 8, 2026

This made me cry a lot, and I highly recommend it.

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Elius B

@Elius Dec 12, 2025

One of the most touching movies I've ever seen. Emotional and real (life is stranger than fiction they say).

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Genesis G

@genesis_56 Dec 9, 2025

I honestly don't understand the other ratings. Some complain it's too emotional, but I think that's the best part. The different storylines were great, and I enjoyed every second of it.

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Meri S.

@mschroeder Dec 4, 2025

I totally forgot I watched this when it first came out. The bus scenes were very familiar but I’d forgotten about the plot, scenes etc. however once Into it I remembered the way this move tugs at the emotions. Great cast. I can’t believe this gets such low critic scores. It’s def worth the watch.

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Dan Fogelman

Director

Oscar Isaac

Will Dempsey

Olivia Wilde

Abby Dempsey

Antonio Banderas

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Annette Bening

Dr. Cait Morris

Mandy Patinkin

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Life Itself: Trailer 1

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Life Itself: Teaser Trailer 1

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Synopsis

College sweethearts Will and Abby fall in love, get married and prepare to bring their first child into the world. As their story unfolds in New York, fate links them to a group of people in Seville, Spain, including a troubled young woman, a man and his granddaughter, a wealthy landowner and a plantation manager.

Director: Dan Fogelman
Producer: Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Aaron Ryder
Distributor: Amazon Studios
Production Co: FilmNation Entertainment, Temple Hill Entertainment
Rating: R (Language|Brief Drug Use|Sexual References|Some Violent Images)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Crime
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 21, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 22, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.1M
Runtime: 2h 15m

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