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Life

Life

From rebel to icon

2015111 minRMidcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Director
Anton Corbijn
Starring
Robert Pattinson, Dane DeHaan, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley

In 1955, young photographer Dennis Stock develops a close bond with actor James Dean while shooting pictures of the rising Hollywood star.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Life?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Life streaming on Cineverse via Prime Video, Dove Channel via The Roku Channel, Fandor via Prime Video, Midnight Pulp via Prime Video and Prime Video and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Life?

Life earns 3 badges, led by Box Office Flop and Bittersweet.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office

Reception

Is Life worth watching?

Life's Midcredits score is the 42nd percentile of all films, from 23K ratings across 6 sources. 42% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

42nd percentile

Better received than 42% of films

17th percentile among Biography42nd percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)43rd
Approval (how many liked it)41st

60 /100

43rd percentile of all films

19th percentile among Biography44th percentile among 2010s

Critics 59 · Audience 60

Critics and audiences broadly agree.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 6.2 — solid but not unanimous.

Approval

How many liked it

42% liked it

41st percentile of all films

15th percentile among Biography40th percentile among 2010s
42% rated it 7–1058% rated it 1–6

Critics 63% · Audience 44%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

91st percentile

23K ratings across platforms

78th percentile among Biography91st percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 17% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$12M
Worldwide gross$1.2M

Returned 0.1× its budget — 37th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

A slow, mood-driven portrait of two aspiring artists during a brief pre-fame moment.

Fans praised

  • atmospheric 1950s period recreation
  • subtle character study of pre-fame Dean
  • believable central chemistry

Detractors panned

  • miscast Dane DeHaan lacks James Dean's magnetism
  • lethargic pacing and long stretches
  • shallow script fails to build real conflict

What stands out

Cinematography72

Beautifully composed period imagery; some say it lacks visual variety

Atmosphere70

Effective mid-century Hollywood and heartland immersion; some find it lifeless

Emotional impactDivisive55

Fans moved by the foreknowledge of Dean's death; detractors feel no connection

ActingDivisive52

DeHaan divisive—some find him vulnerable and nuanced, others weak and miscast; Pattinson called dull by detractors, subtly effective by fans

DialogueDivisive48

Some find it natural and witty; detractors call it stilted and mumbly

CharactersDivisive42

Dean reduced to mumbling enigma, Stock's personal life underdeveloped

Plot and storyDivisive38

Thin premise—a photo assignment—with little narrative momentum or stakes

PacingDivisive33

Universally criticized as too slow and padded

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men even
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 3 points apart
  • Critics vs users 2 points apart
  • US vs non-US 4 points apart

Watch experience

What is Life like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Quiet and reflective: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are in a patient, quiet mood.

It is gentle, takes its time and leaves you bittersweet. Skip it when you want things to move fast.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Patience.

What it feels like

Quiet and reflective.

Moods
ContemplativeMelancholicHopeful
Heaviest: late
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Tender · 13% of films
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film treats its subjects with solemn tenderness, playing the story straight as a character study.
The rideThe mood is dominated by quiet reflection and underlying sadness as it follows the troubled star, with a bittersweet lift toward the end.
StructureConventional chronological narrative following the road trip and photo shoot.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Bittersweet.

BittersweetWistful · 8% of films
Why it leaves you this wayThe film leaves a gentle sadness and longing for the moment captured.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 22% of films: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeThe film follows a photographer and a rising star on a road trip that produces iconic images, but the story is a character study, not a classic plot archetype.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfIdentitySelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22% (this title): Identity 14% (this title) · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% (this title) · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% (this title) · Technology 1%

Self

Identity · 14% of filmsFame · 3% of filmsArt · 4% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Dual lead
How it treats its themeThe film explores James Dean's troubled selfhood and the public persona of fame, while also examining the act of artistic creation through photography.
StanceThe film questions what it means to have an identity in the spotlight, neither celebrating nor condemning fame but probing its cost.

The world

Mid 20th centuryUrbanIn transitRealistic
Orchestral modernSupportive music · original score · Owen Pallett
Setting1950s Hollywood and a cross-country road trip with James Dean
MusicOwen Pallett's score blends contemporary orchestration with period-tinged melodies.

Content guide

Is Life okay for kids?

R

Life is rated R: “Rated R for some sexuality/nudity and language” (MPAA). As of August 31, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at minimal (3/100), sexual content at moderate (52/100), language at mild (33/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (57/100) and frightening material at minimal (4/100). Its language, drug and alcohol content and frightening material have too few votes to rank.

Ratings in 12 other countries
  • Germany0
  • FranceTP
  • Ireland15
  • JapanPG12
  • South Korea15
  • Brazil14
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK-16
  • ItalyT
  • MexicoB-15
  • Netherlands12
  • Switzerland12
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
not ranked
Violence & Gore
None / Minimal
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 1%
Sex & Nudity
Moderate
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 59%
Profanity
Mild
too few votes to rank (6 votes)
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
too few votes to rank (7 votes)
Frightening / Intense
None / Minimal
too few votes to rank (8 votes)

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Too few votes to rank this title overall (45 votes across 5 categories; ranking needs 10 in at least three).

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Life have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Life?

Cast

3 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Robert Pattinson
as Dennis Stock
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Dane DeHaan
as James Dean
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Joel Edgerton
as John Morris
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Ben Kingsley
as Jack Warner
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Kelly McCreary
as Eartha Kitt
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Kristian Bruun
as Roger
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Lauren Gallagher
as Natalie Wood
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Kendal Rae
as Messy Actress
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Alessandra Mastronardi
as Pier Angeli
Stella Schnabel
as Norma
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Life?

Movies like Life include Control (2007), Judy (2019) and News of the World (2020). Of the 12 closest matches, several are biopics, and several are films about fame.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

5 of these 12 share its world: Los Angeles. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Life?

2.5K other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: road movie. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.