In Normal Life, Luke Perry and Ashley Judd play an odd couple who turn to a life of crime when things go bad. It sounds a little like the plot to Fun with Dick and Jane, only neither of these two clowns is as smart as Dick or Jane, either in that movie or in the kids' books.
Perry is Chris Anderson, a by-the-book cop who meets wacky, wild, wacked biker babe Pam (Judd) in a bar. He's instantly smitten; she's obviously unstable. It's true love at first sight, at least from his standpoint. Eventually, Pam comes around, and they get married. But as I've already noted twice in this paragraph, she has some mental issues. Whether it's hiding from Chris' parents when they come to visit or threatening to kill herself with one of Chris' many firearms, Pam clearly needs some kind of help. Even rehab, provoked by habitual tardiness to the research lab (!) that employs her, isn't the cure.
We know within five minutes of the movie's start that this won't end well for either Chris or Pam, as they're in the process of being caught by the FBI after a robbery. The rest of the story is told in flashback, so the focus is really on how the pair got to the point of robbing banks, and successfully.
Neither of the leads stands out here. Perry is almost unrecognizable, sporting a standard-issue cop mustache, and his character is alternately clever and stupid. Chris sticks by his dotty wife even when it's clear her actions are having a severely detrimental effect on his work, family, and friends. Judd fares a little better, but not much. Judd is eye candy that can actually act, and she does an acceptable job with a complex character. Still and all, Pam is so far around the bend that it's hard to relate to her. Sure, being unpredictable is generally a good trait for a character to have, but if there's not even a passing nod to coherence, then it's all for naught. You may as well have Pam twirling a hula hoop with her neck while dressed as a pirate for all the sense her character seems to have.
Not much to see here, just a flat, toneless story of two unlucky saps who, frankly, got what they had coming anyway.
Perry is Chris Anderson, a by-the-book cop who meets wacky, wild, wacked biker babe Pam (Judd) in a bar. He's instantly smitten; she's obviously unstable. It's true love at first sight, at least from his standpoint. Eventually, Pam comes around, and they get married. But as I've already noted twice in this paragraph, she has some mental issues. Whether it's hiding from Chris' parents when they come to visit or threatening to kill herself with one of Chris' many firearms, Pam clearly needs some kind of help. Even rehab, provoked by habitual tardiness to the research lab (!) that employs her, isn't the cure.
We know within five minutes of the movie's start that this won't end well for either Chris or Pam, as they're in the process of being caught by the FBI after a robbery. The rest of the story is told in flashback, so the focus is really on how the pair got to the point of robbing banks, and successfully.
Neither of the leads stands out here. Perry is almost unrecognizable, sporting a standard-issue cop mustache, and his character is alternately clever and stupid. Chris sticks by his dotty wife even when it's clear her actions are having a severely detrimental effect on his work, family, and friends. Judd fares a little better, but not much. Judd is eye candy that can actually act, and she does an acceptable job with a complex character. Still and all, Pam is so far around the bend that it's hard to relate to her. Sure, being unpredictable is generally a good trait for a character to have, but if there's not even a passing nod to coherence, then it's all for naught. You may as well have Pam twirling a hula hoop with her neck while dressed as a pirate for all the sense her character seems to have.
Not much to see here, just a flat, toneless story of two unlucky saps who, frankly, got what they had coming anyway.