The Air I Breathe Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Happiness. Sorrow. Pleasure. Love.
The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live.
A drama based on an ancient Chinese proverb that breaks life down into four emotional cornerstones: happiness, pleasure, sorrow and love. A businessman (Whitaker) bets his life on a horse race; a gangster (Fraser) sees the future; a pop star (Gellar) falls prey to a crime boss (Garcia); a doctor (Bacon) must save the love of his life.
| Sarah Michelle Gellar | Sorrow |
| Kevin Bacon | Love |
| Brendan Fraser | Pleasure |
| Forest Whitaker | Happiness |
| Andy Garcia | Fingers |
| Emile Hirsch | Tony |
| Julie Delpy | Gina |
| Jon Bernthal | Interviewer |
| John Cho | Bart |
| Andrew Deichman | Pizza Delivery Guy |
| Daniel Delevin | |
| Jason Dolley | Young Pleasure |
| Josh Flaum | Wesley |
| Clark Gregg | Henry |
| Jake Koenig | Seedy old man |
| Jieho Lee |
7.40 out of 10 (11526 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Happiness, Pleasure, Sorrow, Love – An Overrated Tale
posted on 24 Aug 2009A clumsy clerk (Forest Whitaker) overhears the conversation of three coworkers in the toilet about a fix in a horse race, and bets a large amount. He loses the bet and owes the money to the dangerous and powerful mobster Fingers (Andy Garcia). A gangster (Brendan Fraser) has the ability of foreseeing the future and works for Fingers; he is assigned to collect money for the boss with his troublemaker nephew Tony (Emile Hirsch) and is beat up by a gang. The manager of the pop-star Trista (Sarah Michelle Gellar) loses her contract to Fingers without her agreement and she is threatened by the gangster. A doctor (Kevin Bacon) seeks a blood donor that might have a rare blood type to save the life of his passion (Julie Delpy).The weird and overrated "The Air that I Breath" uses four tales – named "Happiness", "Pleasure", "Sorrow", "Love" - that entwines characters and situations around the powerful and omnipresent gangster Fingers. The stories are unpleasant and the power of Finger is exaggerated – how could a famous pop-star be intimidated by a criminal the way Trista is? The attraction of this forgettable movie is the non-linear screenplay that hides a poor and boring story and the great cast. My vote is six.Title (Brazil): "O Ar Que Eu Respiro" ("The Air that I Breath")
The New Cliché
posted on 20 Aug 2009Some people might think filmmakers are starting to abuse the coincidentally intertwined multiple stories told in a jumbled time line format we've watched in the likes of 'Pulp Fiction', 'Crash', 'Babel' and 'Vantage Point', 'Amores Perros', etc. etc. etc. etc. I think it's becoming a cliché of sorts.What sets this movie apart, however, are two inappropriately hilarious scenes, both involving Sarah Michelle Gellar's character, namely SPOILER: Trista's father tap dancing to death and Trista's attempted suicide (I felt I'd been suddenly transported to a Harold Lloyd movie).I was very sad to see talent like Andy Garcia, Kevin Bacon, Julie Delpy and Forrest Whitaker wasted in this film.
What happened to subtlety? Some of us aren't that dense.
posted on 20 Aug 2009This film definitely had potential; unfortunately the sub-par acting, contrived storyline and mediocre directing made The Air I Breathe fall flat on its face. I don't know why there are so many glowing reviews here – I ended the film completely unfulfilled. First of all, the postmodern nonlinear plot trajectory was transparent and manufactured. So many films try to be postmodern and fail for the very fact that they are trying too hard (The Number 23, The Butterfly Effect, The Eye Inside, etc.) Secondly, I felt no sympathy for Fraser and Gellar's characters because they were not developed at all. Garcia was basically a caricature of a hardcore gangster, wooden and completely undeveloped. Whitaker wasn't bad, but he was entirely underused. In fact, if the story had focused more on his character and less on the others, the movie might have been better. Lacking any semblance of subtlety, this film doggedly beats us over the head with forced emotionality.Bottom line: A film that is trying really, really hard to be poignant is not going to be poignant at all. If you want a better version of the nonlinear, strangers lives intersecting theme, 21 Grams and Crash are a lot better, although even Crash tried a little too hard to get its point across. When is Hollywood going to get it -- be more subtle. Sometimes less is more.
Better than ...
posted on 06 Aug 2009Not the sum of it's parts, I think the separate stories work well, even if they'd stand alone or were told as short movies/films, but better than other movies who have only one storyline. Especially the Brendan Fraser storyline reminds one of another movie (Next, with Nic Cage), but "head and shoulders better"! As I stated this comment will include spoiler and while the storyline mention above was a bit vague and not that much of a spoiler, I'll refer now to the end. Because as with all good movies, that have multiple story lines, this one concludes at the end too! And it has a nice feeling to it too! After some carnage (or at least downsides) it is necessary! I really love this movie, because of the stories and because of the actors! A little movie that could ... :o)
Awful END!!!
posted on 03 Jun 2009The end does not make any sense cause brendan was killed several days before the girl knew that was pregnant.(so 3 weeks pregnancy) How could Brendan went to Forest's house and gave him a gun which forrest used in the bank robbery? And the girl between the house/blackmail/projects/show/hospital/suicide... just in 24 hours (remember she was 3 weeks pregnant in hospital)? lol Dint take 3 weeks to use it ... he had only 2 weeks to pay the money.so what means that was impossible bag of money fall under the girl's car during forest's death and her runaway.Well that was a mistake so obvious i don't know how people didn't notice it...i gave 1 to movie u need to complete with sense a movie before put it on street. Cast was OK and plot too but that mistake ruined all.
Core -Shaker
posted on 28 May 2009This is one of the movies that if you pay close attention to the story and what the message is you will find yourself profoundly stupid and clueless when it comes to basic human emotions and how everything is somehow connected.(chaos theory...?) the performances were absolutely amazing.I'd never seen Sarah Michelle Gellar portray such a role so well,she really moved me as Sorrow and Forest Whitaker as well.The roles fit the actors like a glove.the photography is beautiful.the story is very moving and the ending surprising. loved it +++++++ Maybe it wont make it as one of the greatest films ever but it's the kind of movie i'd like to store and watch again sometime later in the future instead of some box office hit.
Wow this movie is pure trash!
posted on 12 May 2009This is one of the worst movies ever. the character development was horrible and you felt nothing when something substantial happens to a character in this film. i cannot believe this movie was ever even in theaters. i don't care what others say this movie was complete trash and a joke. don't waste your time watching this, and if you even payed a dime to watch this then you got ripped off. Hollywood needs to come up with some better movies. i don't see how anyone could seriously rate this movie beyond a four stars out of ten rating. they needed to tell you more about the characters of the movie, it felt rushed and thrown together. i never usually write reviews but felt i had to voice my opinion since this movie waisted a good hour and a half or so of my life.
Of very little value; poorly written and executed
posted on 30 Apr 2009Truly amazing and sad to see such great acting talent involved in something as poorly written and directed as this tragedy for film is. The messages are weak and mostly non existent in their delivery to the audience. The tomato meter gave it just 10 percent … personally it should have been closer to 3… Below are just a few of the many comments from critics (and these were kind) Rex Reed: New York Observer - For rock-bottom nasty, with no social relevance, there is The Air I Breathe, a load of amateurish bilge so silly I thought I was watching a screening at Comedy Central.Carina Chocano: LA Times - stew of cheap irony, ponderous but meaningless allegory, violence and pretension, the movie is all borrowed style and calculated pandering. It does, however, get more ludicrous by the minute. So in that sense, it's good for an occasional laugh.
too many plot holes
posted on 14 Apr 2009I thought this film might be worth watching. after all it had high scores on IMDb and rotten tomatoes and sounded like it might be thought provoking.I was amazed at how hard I had to work to suspend disbelief while watching this film.a guy goes to rob a bank. he walks to the street outside the bank and stands there holding his gun in his hand and looking at it.stop me if I'm wrong but if you are going to rob a bank would you be standing outside in a busy street admiring your hardware? then he leaves the bank after robbing it and runs down the street- holding the gun. there are police everywhere and it doesn't occur to him that he might be drawing attention to himself running away WITH A GUN IN HIS HAND? A woman works in a lab doing venom extraction on snakes. she's bitten by one of the snakes. She then has to go to hospital where there is no anti venine. Don't you reckon if you ran a lab where you were handling poisonous snakes all day you would have the appropriate anti venine handy for when one of the staff got bitten? I could write all day about the holes in this film. seriously.Too much work trying to figure out so much of the stupidity of the action. Really requires to suspend belief beyond the capacity of any fair thinking person.5/10
Wanna be Crash but well acted and poorly scripted.....
posted on 10 Apr 2009This movie had so much potential that it is a shame so many great actors came on board that it just leaves one at the end wondering...what were they thinking.. what is the message they are sending out to the public... i guess it is the same one that thinks No Country for Old men deserves best picture Oscar.. :( This movie has a resemblance to Crash in that it shows the interconnection between people but it lacks the complexity of showing the duality of life.. here instead we see some meaningless personal stories with lots of needless violence that at one point when one views and expects Geller's father to walk out into traffic and die... you just wonder.. was the writer just having a bad day .. esp clichés like Whitaker throwing the money and not the gun and getting killed.. oh.. wait. it is for the pay off later... wow.. what a great novelty twist.Plus the characters are people one can't really relate to but one feels entertained due to the great actors... but the end result is.. better luck next time.. well directed, well acted.. but hard to swallow stories and definitely not worth putting on the silver screen...I give it a 5 and just make sure you rent it with low expectations and be prepared for lots of unnecessary violence and i guess a surprising yet silly ending that perhaps some might find deep.. but i wasn't one of them
Sometimes risking everything is the only choice you have.
posted on 13 Mar 2009An incredible little film that shows just how we are all interconnected and part of the universe. When one's wings flutter, it affects all around us, and in ways that can sometimes be very surprising.The emotions expressed in the film are all emotions that help us understand how we are interconnected. With the exception of Brandon Fraser and Andy Garcia, all the roles in the film were confined to a particular segment. There were some very good actors in small parts in the film.Fraser was fantastic in a very unemotional role. His first attempts at showing any emotion cost him his life, just as Forest Whitaker's attempt at happiness cost him his.I really like Whitaker's musing that happiness comes from playing by the rules and doing well in school. The reward for doing well in school is more school and more school, and then you can get a job and start wanting things. Do any of us every attain happiness? Or, as Whitaker, are we stuck in some dead-end job wanting? Kevin Bacon showed how one risks it all for love and gave a superb performance. I just kept wishing that Sorrow (Sarah Michelle Gellar) was that little girl from his past. I bet she was and they just didn't tell us.A very pleasurable hour and a half.
Great Performances and a riveting storyline
posted on 01 Mar 2009I gave up going to see the new Batman film tonight, heard they were all sold out. So I decide to watch one of the new DVD's I was given. I chose "The Air I Breath" since it had a solid looking cast on the case. Man! am I ever glad I decided to stay home and not fight the crowds at Batman. The Air I Breath is a terrific film, it starts a little slow out of the gate,but picks up steam quickly. Collectively, the cast Brendan Fraser, Forest Whitaker, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Kevin Bacon were simply on their A game. I never thought of Bredan Fraser as a serious actor, but boy was I wrong! He gave probably his best performance to date in any film he has appeared in. I hope he gives the silly stuff a rest and makes another like this one. Forest was stellar as usual, It is his character we see in the beginning and does he ever set the tone, that justs grabs you. Andy Garcia, was chilling, and very convincing in his roll, and he needed to be, as his character was the linchpin, that the others character in the story revolved around and reacted to. Sarah Michelle Gellar surprised me the most. I have always thought of "Buffy" when I seen her on the screen. No more! Sarah simply gave a great performance, that really nailed her character, she showed that there is really no difference, between a TV actor and one the silver screen, good is good no matter where you see it. Kevin Bacon, was very good as well, although I thought he didn't really get enough screen time, I really enjoy watching this guy, I think he is a real solid actor. Over all I didn't see anyone in this film that dogged it, cudos to all! The story starts a little slow,but starts to grab you 10 min in to the film, it rapidly becomes a really riveting story, as you begin to see how each characters' story relates to the others. If I were reviewing a novel I would say this is a real page turner, a story you just can't leave till it's done.
Bizarre and Enlightening Story Deserves to be Seen.
posted on 19 Feb 2009the air I breathe is a strikingly original, offbeat drama with an ensemble cast that includes Kevin Bacon as Love; Brendan Fraser as Pleasure; Sarah Michelle Gellar as Sorrow and Forest Whitaker as Happiness. Bear with me now. This is one of those films like 2004's CRASH that tells a series of different stories that all intersect in some way at the end. This has already become a crowded sub-genre with films like THE DEAD GIRL, 13 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING and MAGNOLIA, just to name a few. Most of these films, however; have another common denominator- they're usually pretty good. This one is no exception, and although it may not be as great as the above mentioned titles; it is certainly a good movie. Happiness, Sorrow, Pleasure and Love are the four respective themes that writers Jieho Lee (who also directed) and Bob DeRosa tackle in these bizarre stories. This is a film about luck, both good and bad- and what perspective you choose to look at the character's fates will probably determine whether you like this movie or not. Happiness is presented first, with Forest Whitaker playing a nerdy office worker who decides to take a huge risk, betting everything on what he thinks is a fixed horse race. Does the risk pay off? You decide. Next up is Sorrow, in the form of Sarah Michelle Gellar's fragile pop music star, who finds out that her contract has been 'sold' to a vicious mobster called Fingers. Fingers is played by Andy Garcia, in a memorably over-the-top performance (care to take a guess how he got his nickname?) and he is the one constant in each of these stories. He is the single piece of thread that connects all of these individuals. Third and best of this series, is Pleasure, in the guise of Brendan Fraser's mob henchman with psychic abilities. Namely, he can see into the future. He works for (you guessed it) Fingers and has an adventurous night babysitting Finger's nephew Tony, a young, wanna-be mobster with a foul mouth and a reckless streak. During the course of that night, however; something happens and he isn't able to see the future and as a result, gets the crap kicked out of him. This is actually great for him, because he regards his psychic 'gift' as more of a curse. Soon he is asked to baby-sit the pop star (who Fingers is basically holding hostage) and the pair fall in love which leads to some complications. The fourth and final scenario involves Kevin Bacon as a doctor who will do anything to save the woman he loves (Delpy), another doctor who is dying from a serious injury. All of these characters connect, to a certain degree and events set in motion by one individual, effect others; either favorably or not. Okay, this is an odd story with a strange premise and a lot of times, it doesn't gel or make a whole lot of sense. The sheer audacity of the filmmakers to make a movie like this, though, is admirable and it is well made. The cinematography by Walt Lloyd is beautiful and the performances by Fraser, Whitaker and Garcia are very nicely done. In fact, I'll go out on a limb and say that this is one of Brendan Fraser's best performances ever. His character and his story save the movie and give it a dramatic depth that is impacting and intriguing. All of the stories are interesting, to a degree but also a bit frustrating and vague and it's kind of hard to see what Lee and DeRosa are really trying to say. Maybe they are extremely enlightened individuals, I don't know. What I do know is that this is a good movie. Entertaining, thought provoking, clever and even original in presentation. I can't recall another film that I've seen that is quite like this one. For that it deserves to be seen.
Name of the song?
posted on 07 Feb 2009You wrote: Some of the songs played, are kinda cheesy, but those songs go away fast. BUT the score is truly amazing. It totally captures the right feel that the film portrayed. The film should have been longer. It was only 90 minutes, it was very fast paced. They should have shown more screen time with Gellar and Bacon. The rushed feeling has a positive side to it. The film never gets boring. It grabs you completely(and for some people, that is what they want). Yes, the biggest problem is the screenplay, which at times seems silly, some of the dialogue, but the film also has powerful moments and some GREAT dialogue(sort of like the 2004 film Crash). Overall, I have fallen in love with it. It is very underrated, and some of the negative feedback it has received is not worth it. See it, expect flaws, but see it expecting something big, something about human complexity, and you will not be disappointed. Question! Can anyone tell me the name of the song that is played when Brendan Fraser enters the strip club with Andy Garcias nephew? Regards /D
Attempt on your emotions ruined by assault on your intelligence
posted on 24 Jan 2009It's movies like this that make people like me set up user accounts!Whitaker and Garcia played their ridiculous roles well. Other than that, the movie is just plain amateurish - ridiculous predictable "twists", loose ends, etc. Have you seen The Flight of Phoenix? Volcano? Snakes on a Plane? - please don't, but answer this: How DO they get rather famous actors to star in these crappy movies?Try Crash, Magnolia, 21 grams, Pulp Fiction even - the same basic idea, the connectedness of us all, but done much more skillfully and convincingly.The most laughable were Garcia being the ultimate cartoon-like villain (pro-choice, too:) acting with amazing impunity throughout the movie, and of course the part where Bacon saves the girl - beat that, Cliffhanger Stallone! :)Whadda joke!PS Oh, on the positive note - the stereotypical Ruski Mafiya speak perfect Russian.
"The Air" you should all "Breathe"
posted on 18 Jan 2009This movie is great for a lot of reasons. One, and the biggest reason is Sarah Michelle Gellar. The most talented actress I've seen in the past 10 years. She's the Jodie Foster of this day and age. She does a outstanding job in this movie. She transformed herself into this whole different character, nothing like she's done before. This is her best work since Cruel Intneions and Buffy. But, besides her, Brandon Frasier, Kevin Bacon, Forrest Winikkarr and Andy Garcia were also amazing. It was a lot better than I thought it was. Sarah is my favorite actress, and I've been waiting for this movie for a long time, and it was so much better than I thought it would be(and I thought it was going to be great) I Defiantly recommend this movie to anyone, above 13 years of age! 10/10
Interesting but not completely satisfactory
posted on 08 Jan 2009After the highly acclaimed film Crash (2004),the sub-genus of "interconnected stories by unique situations" experienced a boom.The Air I Breathe belongs to this sub-genus and,although it is not completely satisfactory,I found it interesting.Let's see the fails from the movie first.On many occasions,the screenplay believes it is more intelligent than what it really is,so there are moments which do not feel too natural.Plus,there are various moments which could have easily been deleted,because they do not add too much to the story.I would have preferred to see a less pretentious and more concise narrative.However,I liked this movie.It kept me entertained and interested,and the whole cast brings honest and credible performances.The ones who mostly stand out are Forest Whitaker and Kevin Bacon,by my humble point of view.The Air I Breathe is a good movie and although it is not memorable at all,it kept me entertained while I was watching it.If I had to compare it to other movies from this sub-genus,I liked it more than the forced (and overrated) Babel,but less than 11 : 14,which I still think it's the best one from this niche,for the fact that the story is the most compact and ingenious one.I recommend The Air I Breathe with the warning that you do not have to expect something special.
Fairly engaging set of vignettes a la "Crash" meets "Twenty Bucks"
posted on 17 Dec 2008THE AIR I BREATHE (2008) ** Kevin Bacon, Julie Delpy, Brendan Fraser, Andy Garcia, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Emile Hirsch, Forest Whitaker, Clark Gregg, Kelly Hu, Taylor Nichols, John Ho. Odd yet somewhat engaging interlinking character by fate set of four vignettes involving Happiness, Pleasure, Sorrow and Love in Los Angeles has echoes of "Crash" and "Twenty Bucks". Whitaker is an accountant who runs afoul of a violent thug after a gambling bet goes awry; Fraser is a pre-cog hit-man for the violent thug (Garcia hamming it up), who has a Faustian deal with an up-and-comer pop singer (Gellar in one of her more memorable big screen turns); and Bacon is a doctor determined to save the woman he loves (Delpy) from a dangerous snake bite. The talented ensemble cast has a field day and novice filmmaker Jieho Lee – who co-scripted with Bob DeRosa – has an eye for the visual but not the compelling overall. Nice try anyway.
Emotions over society issues
posted on 09 Dec 2008The Air I Breathe is a complex image of human desires and nature. Divided into 4 episodes, tells about fear, curse, responsibility and loyalty. Well casted actors and actress brings great performances (especially Fraser) and credible characters.Script is well crafted and action runs through all heroes to merge their fates into one piece. It's like Crash, but less controversial. There's not many social issues. TAIB flashes on individual concerns and feelings. This is great feature and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.Give it 8 out 10, because final scene is quite touted and looks like fantasy vision which doesn't fit at all.
Childish inept plot interferes with beautiful concept
posted on 26 Aug 2009First, let me say I have read several of the comments. Even though I gave it 3 out of 10, I mostly agree with the people who loved it. The acting was superb, the concept (Four archetypal emotions) is very good, the way Jieho Lee applies these to a modern situation is very clever etc etc. But I give it the low score I did because I found the plot preposterous, the plot twists ridiculous and the unattended plot inconsistencies utterly childish. To me, this looks and feels like a vanity project, where Jieho Lee seems to be the precocious child of Hollywood moguls. He had a great idea in film school, got his family to fund it with big-name stars, and will be ashamed of this movie when he finally becomes a mature artist. I do not know how far off the mark I am, but I hope he continues to grow.If I were his adviser, I would suggest that the same basic movie could be made without any of the brutality, none of the killing, and none of the histrionic over-acting. SPOILERS SECTION: 1. Happiness should have been portrayed by an elderly man, whose failures would have formed his subtext. He need not have robbed a bank -- losing it all on a horse race would have been more than enough to make the point. 2. Pleasure, the best section, need never have beaten anybody to make the point. The main plot point (losing his vision) could have happened at any step of the way. No need for the bit with the rival gang. 3. Sorrow was too filled with sex to be persuasive. No need to have the manager changed. She could have simply been an artist struggling to be an artist in the face of the Music Biz. And when asked "Why are you deserving?", why could she not have simply said "Effort"? It is the natural response of all artists. No need for the entire ridiculous stuff with Fingers. The whole movie would have been far better off without this character at all. 4. I turned the movie off when I saw this bit about the rare blood type. Didn't anyone do any fact-checking? Blood types are registered when you are born. If someone had such a rare blood type, she would have been on an official register. All the doctor would have to do is call the Health Department. The "Love" theme could have been done as a kind of "Killing Fields" drama, being unable to live up to your promises.In sum, I wish Jieho Lee could study Kieslowski's Dekalog to get pointers on how to make movies. He didn't have to make such a "high school" style of gangster tale masquerading as something meaningful.