Streaming has unearthed another surprise hit, and this time it’s Life or Something Like It—a rom-com relic from 2002 starring none other than Angelina Jolie. Two decades after it fizzled at the box office, this long-forgotten flick has suddenly rocketed into Netflix’s top 10, charming a new generation of viewers who may not even realize they’re watching a vintage release.
Back in 2002, Jolie was fresh off her Lara Croft: Tomb Raider run, a bona fide action super star and dominating theaters as the globe-trotting, pistol-wielding action icon. So when she suddenly popped up in a blonde wig playing a Seattle news anchor facing a seven-day death prophecy? Yeah, audiences and critics alike were… well confused. The film was largely dismissed as fluff, and reviews at the time were brutal, calling it messy, tone-deaf, and directionless.
And yet, here we are. Against all odds, Life or Something Like It has clawed its way into the spotlight two decades later. With no marketing push or anniversary re-release, it’s become a quiet Netflix hit, outperforming buzzier and far more modern titles. Nostalgia? Curiosity? Jolie’s ageless star power? Maybe a bit of all three.
The plot is a curious blend of existential dread and rom-com tropes: Jolie plays Lanie Kerrigan, a type-A TV reporter who gets her world rocked by a scruffy prophet (Tony Shalhoub) claiming she has just one week to live. What follows is a fast-paced unraveling of her carefully curated life, as she reevaluates love and her career.
Let’s be honest part of the film’s sudden success might be thanks to a little streaming serendipity. Netflix doesn’t always spotlight the release year, so some viewers may have clicked thinking Life or Something Like It was a recent addition to Jolie’s filmography. But even if the early-2000s fashion and soundtrack give away its era, there’s a certain charm in revisiting a movie that captures a moment in time.
Still, something about it is working. Maybe it’s Jolie’s undeniable screen presence. Maybe it’s the charm of a messy-but-earnest movie that never got its due. Either way, Life or Something Like It has pulled off the ultimate rom-com glow-up—and it’s streaming proof that no movie is ever truly dead, just waiting for its comeback moment.
Life or Something Like It is now available to stream on Netflix.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
You may also like
-
Why Simon Pegg Will Never Resurrect ‘Shaun Of The Dead’
-
‘John Wick 5’ Update Offers Hope for Keanu Reeves’ Future in the Franchise
-
‘Mad Max: The Wasteland’ Still Happening? Tom Hardy Says Things are Being “Discussed”
-
Alex Garland to Direct Live-Action ‘Elden Ring’ Movie for A24
-
Sydney Sweeney Says Her ‘Barbarella’ Remake Is Coming Together Just Don’t Expect It for Awhile Yet