Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This movie moved too slowly for its content, and the casting of James Dean ruined it for me. The actor had NONE of the qualities I remember about Dean (we had similar Porsches, and I lived near where he crashed), looks, personality, voice, etc., and they could have done so much better finding someone who at least conveyed the spirit of him. That face is critical. I don't care how good that actor is in general, it was lousy casting. The poetry quotes, etc., seemed out of context and beyond the mental capabilities of the real actor, who was really not that complicated. I would have liked to see more snippets of his actual movies/acting and a fuller display of the final Life photos rather than those few at the end. The interesting part of the movie was not Dean, but the photographer's life.

The problem with this movie is that neither DeHaan, nor Pattinson hold the attention of the audience. The script is nondescript, and the directing cannot make up for the lack of a compelling story and characterization.DeHaan looks like a childish version of Dean with his unlined face, rounded cheeks, feathered, rubbable hair and those full, pink lips.Dean was young, but had an old soul reflected in his lined face, sunken eyes, and impossibly attractive visage. Even James Franco -- much as I detest that actor -- was better than DeHaan. The story had no real climax... its twin journeys (of the co-protagonists) made shallow and dull via the absence of any real conflict or urgency of mission.I'm sure Corbijn had good intentions.I gave this one a four.

This was a stunningly boring movie. Pattinson turned in his usual sleeper performance - what's the old saying - "he could have mailed it in". DeHaan's James Dean character seemed obtuse and forced. Maybe Dean was this self-absorbed; I'd like to think otherwise. A real stinker of a flick. Definitely one not to waste your time on.The only scenes that offered any refreshing warmth and (perhaps)an authentic glimpse of Dean, were those shot on the farm back in Indiana. The Dean character seemed to become child-like and at ease with life; whereas back in L.A., Jack Warner was a constant thorn in Dean's non-conformist side.The rural settings of Indiana were a respite from the tedium of Pattinson's stare and DeHaan's seemingly unsure interpretation of the Dean character made this a very long movie.

This film tells the story of a freelance photographer who spots something special in James Dean, who has yet to make it super famous. He tries to do a photoshoot with James Dean, only to be pushed around and played with for weeks. They form an almost coercive yet deep relationship with each other.I haven't watched a James Dean film, so I can't tell whether the demeanour portrayed is accurate or not. If it is accurate, I am rather unclear why a person who is mellow and yet manipulative can fascinate the world. I mean, his voice is monotonous as sleep inducing! The film is very slow, not much happens and things just drag on for way longer than it should. The characters are not interesting or sympathetic. There is nothing captivating about the story. The only thing I like about "Life" is the fact that Robert Pattison is finally looking healthy like a human, shedding his image of a vampire.