From blonde psycho slut (Girl, Interrupted, Gone in Sixty Seconds) to blonde Barbie broadcaster in Life or Something Like It, Angelina Jolie's career thus far has been one helluva 'blonde on blonde.' Comedy may be a new stretch for her, but she's flexed her acting muscle on some heady material before (Gia, Lara Croft), so the leap is a logical career choice. Here she plays Lanie Kerrigan, ambitious, blonde bombshell TV newscaster clawing her way up the dodgy slope of broadcast news. She's got it all-perfect hunk boyfriend, perfect job, great apartment, till one day local crackpot Seattle soothsayer (Tony Shalhoub) predicts her imminent demise. The catharsis commences as Lanie reevaluates her life thus far, assisted by hip colleague cameraman Pete (Edward Burns), who shows her how to really seize the day. Despite some noteworthy cameos from Tony Shalhoub and Stockard Channing, it is really Angelina Jolie who steals the screen, not just through her bubbly blonde gusto, but through her finesse in injecting some enduring sparkle to an otherwise stereotypical character who may have fizzled out early in less capable hands.
Life or Something Like It
