SummaryInspired by a Chinese proverb that breaks life down into four key emotions – Happiness, Sorrow, Pleasure, and Love – The Air I Breathe is told in four short fables, each built around a character who embodies one of these key emotions. In Happiness, a timid banker who impulsively bets every cent he has, and then some, on a supposedly “sure thing.”... Read More
Directed By:Jieho Lee
Written By:Jieho Lee, Bob DeRosa
The Air I Breathe
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
37
User score
Generally Favorable
7.7
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
11% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
33% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
56% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
63
Lee deserves a lot of credit for attempt the same kind of complex story structure Quentin Tarantino made look so easy in "Pulp Fiction": Like Tarantino's interlocking stories, Lee's four segments occur achronologically and come full circle in a neat twist at the very end.
50
The source for Jieho Lee's The Air I Breathe is an ancient Chinese proverb about the four cornerstones of emotion - love, pleasure, happiness and sorrow. But Lee and co-writer Bob DeRosa went 0-4 with their convoluted screenplay, making me thankful they didn't try to adapt the Seven Deadly Sins.
User score
Generally Favorable
74% Positive
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
22% Mixed
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
4% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Sep 23, 2018
10
Definitely one of my favourite movies.
'The Air I Breathe' might not be for everyone, but it's for those reflective people. This movie has a lot to offer in terms of meaning, how we all influence each other, how we're all intertwined together and waves of emotions. The cast is phenomenal, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kevin Bacon, Any Garcia and the rest are amazing. Must watch!
Feb 21, 2011
9
What A GREAT Movie!!!!!!!
Sarah Michelle Gellar Shows Us A Solid Role...
Everything Is Good... Just Somtimes It Can Seem A Little Dull In Spots....
50
Each story has its moments, but "Air" lacks an overarching vision.
38
Situations get increasingly ridiculous, and none of the characters ever seems like anything but a screenwriter's sketch.
30
A 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.
30
The destiny-versus- responsibility hand-wringing is Philosophy 101, the camera angles straight out of film school, and the pacing strictly music-video. Plus, the ta-da! twist ending is foreshadowed roughly 20 minutes into the action, for those still interested.
30
Stellar thesps gamely strive to elevate the one-note material, but gravity ultimately defeats them in this relentless downer.
Feb 22, 2013
8
I really didn't expect to like this movie as much as I did, after all several critics had refereed to is as a tame re-packaging of Pulp Fiction. The film is broken up into four parts that are out of order, and the characters all do eventually interact, there is also a mafia angle to the film, but overall besides the way things were laid out, I didn't really draw much of a comparison to Pulp Fiction. The stories all involve these peoples interactions with the mob, but they're all for different reasons and all have different outcomes. Andy Garcia is the boss, of course, always the perfect choice for a gangster or ruthless leader, and you get from him what's expected. What isn't expected is the tremendous performance of Brendan Fraser. I am not a fan and have never really considered him anything but a mediocre comedic actor, but after seeing The Air I Breathe, my opinion of him was definitely swayed. While watching the pieces, I knew they would somehow come together, but the way it was done was completely unpredictable and really something to watch. The film had a huge cast, with a ton of cameos, and just as many twists and turns. What I was expecting was far different from what I saw and I was more than happy with the way the film was done. I think if the film had been done in the traditional model of storytelling, it wouldn't have had as big of an impact.
Feb 6, 2012
8
Absolutely underrated! Awesome story where everything fits in the end. The acting is brilliant as well and all is mixed with the right dosage of action and thrilling moments.
Nov 9, 2011
8
"The Air I Breathe" perfectly intersects the stories despite the major flaws. Sarah Michelle Gellar never looked and acted better before throughout the movie. Overall a great movie and could have been better if it had a little bit of more budget added on.
