Normal Life (1996) Reviews

• A decent, modern "Bonnie and Clyde"

  jpn1998-10-29

  I must admit that seeing 90210's Luke Perry in Normal Life's leading role did not inspire me, but after watching this film I was pleasantly surprised. The foreshadowing scene at the very start of the film gives a sense of foreboding doom that pervades the rest of the story. Pam (Ashley Judd) is a woman torn between living on the edge and having a normal, storybook life. Chris (Luke Perry) longs for such a life, but also seems to be excited by Pam's wild side. He goes from cop to bank robber in a first successful, but then futile attempt to make things right, which only seems to excite Pam more. Eventually their luck runs out, and the inevitable ensues. The last 15 minutes of this film are the best part with some surprising twists right near the end.

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• Illogical Love

  CMUltra2007-04-02

  Normal Life is simply about the illogical love Chris (Luke Perry) has for Pam (Ashley Judd). From the love-at-first-sight moment you know his attraction is there but, other than the physical appeal, you can't understand why. The first time he sees her, she's drunk and having a fight with what seems to be her boyfriend. She smashes a glass and cuts her hand. She's definitely attractive (Judd always is) so Chris overlooks her odd behavior and plays the knight in shining armor role as he tends to her cut. The attraction is immediately so strong that he tracks her down at her workplace to see her again. He's a cop. When he sees her the second time she's sitting in her car outside her job smoking pot. He overlooks this as well and they go to an isolated area to lie in the grass and look at the stars. She's heavy into astronomy. She initiates sex with him and, during the intercourse, he innocently says she's "crazy." She goes berserk, breaks off the copulation, runs screaming to her car and very nearly runs him over. He explains that he meant nothing bad by the comment and, once again, accepts her behavior. This is the theme that continues. No matter what Pam does, Chris loves her. He's not blind. He recognizes Pam's attitudinal deficiencies and points them out to her. He struggles to help her change and become a better person. But when she doesn't change he must either leave her or change himself to fit her life. He does the latter. Chris is not only a cop when the movie begins but also a straight arrow. He does not condone cutting corners, or police brutality. However he ignores his strict code of ethics when he finds Pam smoking pot the first time. That lets us know right away that, while he will try to change her, he is willing to sacrifice all of his personal standards to be with her. By the end of the movie he is a bank robber and a murderer. Normal Life is a neat snapshot of what folks like Chris go through when they allow another person to become the end-all, be-all of their life. They begin to define their own life by the other person. They do not have the strength to let go. Some glimpses of Chris' parents are given but it is incomplete. We do not know if the family is truly dysfunctional or if there are difficulties exacerbated by his father's illness. Perry was enjoyable as Chris. He played the character with a realistic edge. Chris was typically reserved and soft-spoken but Perry made it clear that there was high tension underneath. Judd (one of my favorite actresses) was not so adept with Pam. In order to portray hysteria I think you have to go there, otherwise the acting is painfully obvious. That's what I saw here. In other scenes she did fine as she took Pam along the edge of a normal life. When Pam needed to turn on the charm, Judd excelled. The further Pam went the other direction, the more the performance suffered.

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• Good performances & well plotted

  bob the moo2001-10-16

  The film starts with the FBI arresting Luke Perry during a car robbery and tracks back to two years prior. It is at this point that Perry first meets Ashley Judd and his life begins to change. Essentially he becomes trapped by his love with a woman that is clearly no good for him - leading to fights, crime and his eventual capture. Perry takes a huge leap away from his 90210 posterboy image with a good haunted performance as the man forced to live outside his small-town "normal life" by Judd's desire for more excitement than a small town can give. Ashley Judd is excellent as Pam, constantly riddled with suffering and inconsistency as she flies around emotionally, cuts herself with knives and puts guns to her head and only finds peace when taking drugs, spending money or stealing. The only criticism is that she is required to be nude almost once every ten minutes - this doesn't develop her character and made me think that the director wanted to have it there to satisfy the men in the audience, it almost like she was being exploited. Overall the film is well plotted and makes Perry's change almost believable - however his final change doesn't totally make sense. That said it's a pretty emotional ride that doesn't let you get bored at any point, is well acted and well scripted. All through the film you can't help but feel sad for Perry as he is henpecked, corrupted and ultimately tormented by Judd's childish alluring Pam.

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• Well drawn characters of a hopelessly incompatible couple.

  raymond-152004-08-30

  An incompatible couple try to find a normal life. Differences of opinion constantly lead to outbursts of anger and threats of ending the partnership. Pam (Ashley Judd) is an irresponsible woman who makes up for the lack of excitement in her life by indulging in drugs and alcohol. She is certainly not content to be a housewife. Policeman Chris (Luke Perry) on the other hand is a level-headed husband who pampers her in every material way. He is soon in dreadful debt. The turbulent life-style of these two main characters occupy the screen most of the time and we feel there is no hope for either of them. Indeed their incompatibility is enough to put one totally off marriage. Their shouting matches are quite savage and somewhat depressing. When Chris resigns from the police force and discovers a new way to riches and living life to the full, excitement takes over and the characters are fired with a new enthusiasm. Pam insists she be a part of this new game and for a time she becomes a new woman. The characters are well drawn, the car chases quite exciting. This change of mood spices up their sex lives clearly depicted in a series of bedroom scenes. The final sequences are dramatic and exciting so stay with the film to the end. The old saying that "Crime does not pay" is clearly delivered and understood.

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• Great Movie, but Could Be Better with a Simple Modification in the Screenplay

  claudio_carvalho2008-03-23

  When the honest and idealistic policeman Chris Anderson (Luke Perry) meets the gorgeous and sexy, but alcoholic and drug addicted Pam (Ashley Judd) in a bar, they date and have great sex. Chris immediately falls in love for Pam and marries her, but the reckless and emotionally unbalanced wife brings troubles to his relationship with his family and spends her credit card in futilities, leading the couple to financial problems. When Chris loses his job in the police department, he concludes that they are insolvent and decides to heist banks to resolve their financial issues. I have just watched "Normal Life" for the second time and my opinion remains the same: it is a great movie, but could be better with a simple modification in the screenplay. In the beginning of the story, the fate of Chris and Pam is unnecessarily disclosed, and the viewer watches the film knowing that the FBI and the police arrest Chris and chase Pam and consequently breaking the tension or the imagination of the viewer. Ashley Judd astonishingly sexy and Luke Perry have great performances and chemistry in this modern Bonnie and Clyde story apparently based on true events. My vote is seven. Title (Brazil): "Fronteiras do Crime" ("Borders of the Crime")

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