The Air I Breathe (2007)

12% of critics liked it
(25 reviews)
63% of users liked it
(21,753 ratings)

Four stories, representing the emotional principles of love, pleasure, sorrow, and happiness, come together in this episodic drama from first-time director Jieho Lee. A powerful crime boss, Fingers (Andy Garcia), subtly controls the destinies of four people whose circumstances have brought them to a… More Four stories, representing the emotional principles of love, pleasure, sorrow, and happiness, come together in this episodic drama from first-time director Jieho Lee. A powerful crime boss, Fingers (Andy Garcia), subtly controls the destinies of four people whose circumstances have brought them to a crossroads in their lives. A quiet business executive (Forest Whitaker) is told that an upcoming horse race has been rigged and bets everything he has on his belief that the story is true. A noted pop singer (Sarah Michelle Gellar) discovers her career is hanging in the balance when she's forced to sever ties with her manager. A doctor (Kevin Bacon) must set aside a physician's traditional guidelines when circumstances demand he treat the woman he loves after a serious accident. And a criminal (Brendan Fraser) has a powerful vision of the future, but can't decide if his premonitions are to be trusted. The Air I Breathe received its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: Jieho Lee
Written By: Jieho Lee, Bob DeRosa
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jan 25, 2008 Wide
On DVD: May 6, 2008
Studio: ThinkFilm

Critic Reviews

Claudia Puig, USA Today
Each story has its moments, but Air lacks an overarching vision.
Kyle Smith, New York Post
Brendan Fraser is Pleasure, Sarah Michelle Gellar is Sorrow, Kevin Bacon is Love, Forest Whitaker is Happiness, and the director is Pretension.
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News
I can't fault any of the actors for anything other than bad judgment. Their performances are fine, but a good fortune cookie might have told them to stay away from this.
Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times
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.
Gene Seymour, Newsday
With any luck, The Air I Breathe should be the last gasp of the faux-Altmanesque school of serendipitous storytelling.
Ronnie Scheib, Variety
Morosely pretentious.
Matthew Pejkovic, Matt's Movie Reviews
Pretentious in its tone, ambitious in its goals, and incompetent in its execution, The Air I Breathe is a polluted mess despite its good intentions.
Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
As the plot strands begin to coalesce everything becomes far too overwrought.
J.B. Mitchell, Orlando Weekly
The movie takes itself way too seriously, and it doesn't add up to much, but, nevertheless, it's borderline entertaining.
Brandon Judell, New York Theatre Wire
Your appreciation of this circular plotting will have a great deal to do with how tongue-in-cheek you believe the film is
Marlow Stern, Manhattan Movie Magazine
Mr. Lee is a former director of Asian music videos, which explains why his debut feature, from the high-octane opening credits to the Marnie-esque ending, is all style and no substance.
Geoff Berkshire, Metromix.com
A perfectly awful example of a certain breed of American indie film that brings together a lot of familiar faces for an ensemble drama about...nothing.
Christopher Campbell, Cinematical
None of the four morality plays ... are necessarily original in plot, nor is the film itself particularly innovative in its structure ... it just seems flat and useless.
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Aside from demonstrating how liberation and change can occur even at the most dire turn of events, it's not exactly clear exactly what his overly ambitious drama is trying to say.
Paul Brenner, Filmcritic.com
not a nihilistic work of cinematic art, but a laugh-out-loud slapstick free-for-all.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Four unappealing mini-dramas about happiness, pleasure, sorrow, and love.
Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly
Ah, January, hallowed dustbin for projects half-baked, too cooked, or both, as in the case of this overstuffed actioner.
Eric Kohn, New York Press
It's particularly frustrating to watch Whittaker, the strongest thespian of the bunch, desperately mine for gold in a narrative landslide.
Rex Roberts, Film Journal International
[Jieho] doesn't know what to do with actors, however, and the film's impressive ensemble is wasted.

Read all 19 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Sajin P

Yet another done-to-death, serendipitous, connecting-the-dots kind of movie. Only reason I walked into this one is because of the names Kevin Bacon and Julie Delpy in the cast sheet, and their bit parts were over within the blink of an eye. Apparently the movie is based on some kind… More
Yet another done-to-death, serendipitous, connecting-the-dots kind of movie. Only reason I walked into this one is because of the names Kevin Bacon and Julie Delpy in the cast sheet, and their bit parts were over within the blink of an eye. Apparently the movie is based on some kind of theory that life revolves around four emotional cornerstones - Happiness, Pleasure, Sorrow & Love. But the only thing the movie can take credit for is in taking the audience to the realms of a fifth one - BORED TO DEATH.
♥Robyn

a strong cast and the lead characters all portray an emotion...... The four chapters are titled Happiness, Pleasure, Sorrow, and Love, each has a main character known only by the chapters title.... happiness (Forest Whitaker) a down on his luck man who attempts to find… More
a strong cast and the lead characters all portray an emotion...... The four chapters are titled Happiness, Pleasure, Sorrow, and Love, each has a main character known only by the chapters title.... happiness (Forest Whitaker) a down on his luck man who attempts to find happiness in a shady gambling hall, where things go terribly wrong. Pleasure (Brendan Fraser) a man who can see a few minutes into the future, but is frustrated at his inability to change the outcomes he sees. Sorrow (Sarah Michelle Gellar) a singer whose contract was handed over to the mob as part of a payoff. Sorrow is unhappy being owned by the mob, but leaving won't be so easy. Love (Kevin Bacon) a doctor, madly in love with his friends dying wife, she needs a transfusion, but her rare blood type is difficult to find. Love resorts to less than ideal means to obtain the blood she needs... So there you have it. Happiness, Pleasure, Sorrow, and Love. The point is that these are the four parts of every persons life and you cant experience one without also experiencing the others.,so, the four emotions are forever intertwined within us all,ok,so similarly, the four chapters of this movie intertwine, sometimes in very unexpected ways.
Jennifer D

Interesting... no, really. It was kinda of Crash-y but more violent. And I really liked the end. Wish that the Love (Kevin Bacon) story line had more oomph to it, but I think in these fractional tales, one story line usually gets a little shafted. But really, the acting was great, the… More
Interesting... no, really. It was kinda of Crash-y but more violent. And I really liked the end. Wish that the Love (Kevin Bacon) story line had more oomph to it, but I think in these fractional tales, one story line usually gets a little shafted. But really, the acting was great, the overall concept was very nice and the filming was beautiful. Oh, and Sarah Michelle Gellar looked stunning in every single frame of this film...
familiar s

IMO, it's just another movie blending several stories into one film. Despite of blending of several stories & a bit non-linear timeline, it's pretty easy to follow. However, the movie, in part as well as in whole, wasn't engaging enough. Hardly any story was… More
IMO, it's just another movie blending several stories into one film. Despite of blending of several stories & a bit non-linear timeline, it's pretty easy to follow. However, the movie, in part as well as in whole, wasn't engaging enough. Hardly any story was captivating. Great performances don't help much either. If you're a fan of this kind of package, go for it. Otherwise, I find it hard to recommend.
♥˩ƳИИ &

Cast: Kevin Bacon, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Andy Garcia, Taylor Nichols, Forest Whitaker, Clark Gregg, Emile Hirsch, Julie Delpy, John Cho, Jason Dolley, Kelly Hu Director: Jieho Lee Summary: Kevin Bacon, Forest Whitaker, Brendan Fraser and Sarah Michelle Gellar… More
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Andy Garcia, Taylor Nichols, Forest Whitaker, Clark Gregg, Emile Hirsch, Julie Delpy, John Cho, Jason Dolley, Kelly Hu Director: Jieho Lee Summary: Kevin Bacon, Forest Whitaker, Brendan Fraser and Sarah Michelle Gellar co-star in this Jieho Lee-directed drama that mines four basic human emotions -- love, pleasure, sadness and joy -- for cinematic inspiration. A banker discovers true happiness, a mobster finds hope, a celebrity sees life lose its luster and a doctor wrestles with matters of the heart that can't be addressed within the confines of an operating room. My Thoughts: "I liked this film quite a bit. Don't really know what makes it different from other films that link all the characters together in one way. Maybe it was the script. But I was totally intrigued in the story, and all of the characters story lines. Maybe my favorite movie that is like this. But ALL of the acting was good. A great cast. I even loved the ending.. You wanted so badly for a happy ending in one of their stories.. I am usually not one for that. I like the realness of a film, and to be honest most happy endings you see in films is totally B.S. But to my surprise this film had me hoping for one. Really interesting, give it a try.."
Ginny

A directorial debut by an American-Korean filmmaker. Good cast and stellar performances by all characters. The story isnt hard to follow but I think most of the concept was lost with how the film was directed, still... I liked it, the films got a different taste to it.… More
A directorial debut by an American-Korean filmmaker. Good cast and stellar performances by all characters. The story isnt hard to follow but I think most of the concept was lost with how the film was directed, still... I liked it, the films got a different taste to it. Director: Jieho Lee Genres: Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller Recommendation: Good for a rental. [P.S. Yes, I know I havent been reviewing movies all that well lately, just have too much on my plate to compose anything decent these days.]
Film C

ive seen a few films where its a bunch of strangers all connected to one guy and i must say this is my favourite altough a really strong cast you didnt hear much about it on the cinemas or anything but it was really good and interesting! sarah michelle gellar plays a singer whose… More
ive seen a few films where its a bunch of strangers all connected to one guy and i must say this is my favourite altough a really strong cast you didnt hear much about it on the cinemas or anything but it was really good and interesting! sarah michelle gellar plays a singer whose contract gets turned over to ganster Garcia Forest whitaker is a bored depressed poor working man who bets on a horse without the actual money then owes ganster garcia money there just a couple of the characters but the story is good with great acting and good plot really worth a watch!
Dean M

Electric and brilliant action-filled drama about four very different people teetering on the edge of desperation are unexpectedly linked by their destinies. I like Sorrow (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Pleasure (Brendan Fraser) and Love (Kevin Bacon) scenes the best as well as the solid… More
Electric and brilliant action-filled drama about four very different people teetering on the edge of desperation are unexpectedly linked by their destinies. I like Sorrow (Sarah Michelle Gellar), Pleasure (Brendan Fraser) and Love (Kevin Bacon) scenes the best as well as the solid performances by Gellar, Fraser, Bacon, Emile Hirsch and Andy Garcia.
Dan S

An utter catastrophe. The cast is fine, they do what they can with their boring characters and a script that is built completely around fake coincidences and cheesy melodrama, but it comes to no avail. Some of the "dramatic" material is unintentionally hilarious, I found… More
An utter catastrophe. The cast is fine, they do what they can with their boring characters and a script that is built completely around fake coincidences and cheesy melodrama, but it comes to no avail. Some of the "dramatic" material is unintentionally hilarious, I found myself making fun of the film more than I was in "awe" of it, which is definitely what director Lee wants you to feel. You want to see a great movie with a similar plot but a healthy script? Stick with "Crash".
Derek D

When a film's main premises are: a) Brendan Fraser being a psychic badass, b) Andy Garcia being anywhere in the film, and c) relying on Sarah Michelle Gellar's "acting talent" you know you're gonna shoot yourself in the foot before pre-production even begins.… More
When a film's main premises are: a) Brendan Fraser being a psychic badass, b) Andy Garcia being anywhere in the film, and c) relying on Sarah Michelle Gellar's "acting talent" you know you're gonna shoot yourself in the foot before pre-production even begins. It tries too hard to be Crash and Magnolia tied together and ends up being a boring ultra-violent piece of trash that makes no sense at times. BUT...Emile Hirsch is excellent, as he always is.
Jose Z

The Air I Breathe is a good movie. It has a very interesting story and a very convincing and well developed plot 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… More
The Air I Breathe is a good movie. It has a very interesting story and a very convincing and well developed plot 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. Its a film full of drama, it also has a little of humor some of it involuntary. The cast is formed by all-star actors, Brendan Frasier delivers an outstanding performance as a mobster who can see the future, Sarah Michelle Gellar's role as a singer that apparently is happy but lives ina deep sadness was very good and convincing, Forest Whitaker excellent as always, Andy Garcia as a cold heart gangster is amazing, Kevin Bacon's performance is great as a doctor capable of doing anything to save a life and Emile Hirsch was also very convincing and even funny at some moments. To resume, this is a very good movie with mixed feelings such as sadness, happiness and love that you will enjoy and fully recommend.
Lorenzo v

'The Air I Breathe' is a film divided into four parts. There's Happiness (Whitaker) who is stuck in the perceived cycle of life and finds a way out when he bets his life on a horserace. Pleasure (Fraser) is a mobster who can see the future and then one day, his future… More
'The Air I Breathe' is a film divided into four parts. There's Happiness (Whitaker) who is stuck in the perceived cycle of life and finds a way out when he bets his life on a horserace. Pleasure (Fraser) is a mobster who can see the future and then one day, his future sight just loses its touch and ends up getting mugged. Then there's Sorrow (Gellar) a popstar who falls in love with Pleasure but then gets separated by Pleasure's mob boss Fingers portrayed by the very menacing Andy Garcia. And finally, we have Love (Bacon) a doctor who tries desperately to save the woman of his life after being bitten by a poisonous snake. This movie made my whole week. Newcomer director Jieho Lee weaves all these tales together with excellence. The story was great, its plot is in line with previous films like 'Crash' and 'Babel' and this film made a mark on its own. Its not like Crash, its not like Babel; its just the way it is. It doesn't try to be these films and it successfully holds on its own out there. The acting was top notch. You got Hollywood veterans like Forest Whitaker, Kevin Bacon and Andy Garcia and then you got fresh, raw talent like Emile Hirsch and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Its a mix made in heaven. The performer that stood out to me the most is Forest Whitaker. His screentime was a short 30 minutes only but it was a 30 minutes filled with his acting power and intensity. Other notable performances were of Kevin Bacon, Brendan Fraser and Andy Garcia. It is an emotional film, it is well thought-out and it will make you think what people really wants in a world we live in. Highly recommended.
Manu G

I really though this movie was really great. Everyone should rent this movie and you will enjoy it. 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… More
I really though this movie was really great. Everyone should rent this movie and you will enjoy it. 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.
Al S

A unique, remarkable and breathtaking film. It's gripping, nail-biting, shocking and utterly spellbinding. It grabs you and dosent let go. A compelling variety of characters played by an all-star cast that give some of the best performances of their careers. Andy Garcia is… More
A unique, remarkable and breathtaking film. It's gripping, nail-biting, shocking and utterly spellbinding. It grabs you and dosent let go. A compelling variety of characters played by an all-star cast that give some of the best performances of their careers. Andy Garcia is electrifying. Sarah Michelle Gellar is teriffic. Kevin Bacon is excellent. Brendan Frasier is magnificent. Forest Whitaker is brilliant. Bold, fearless and dedicated performances. A stylish, very cool, thrilling and mind-blowing film. It sets the screen on fire with passion, power and excitment. This is one unforgettable movie. An excellent invention of the original chinese proverb poem that shows all human emotions. A dazzeling knockout. An extroadinary, powerful, magnetic and ingenious piece of work. A riveting edge of your seat thriller thats both deeply moving and action-packed. A masterpiece.
Sanjaya &

I just can't say a lot about this movie... It just brilliant... 4 great short story comes up into a brilliant movie, yet they connected to each other... The cast did a pretty good job.. From the Oscar winner, Forest Whittaker, then Andy Garcia, Brendan Faser, Kevin Bacon, Julie… More
I just can't say a lot about this movie... It just brilliant... 4 great short story comes up into a brilliant movie, yet they connected to each other... The cast did a pretty good job.. From the Oscar winner, Forest Whittaker, then Andy Garcia, Brendan Faser, Kevin Bacon, Julie Delpy, even the young Sarah Michelle Gellar, they try to put on their best performance in here... The story, which is tells about 4 human feelings, Happiness, Pleasure, Sorrow, and Love, just great... And what a little surprise that they connected one to each other... An embarrassment to the time because we didn't know which story comes first... But one question in my mind, why is the title for this movie is 'The Air I Breathe?' I think it's a little question I'm going to keep for a while... Yet, it's a fresh and brilliant movie...
Curtis L

Uh...I fell asleep halfway through and was okay with it.
Stefanie C

good concept film. very good performances, especially gellar. a bit dark, but i like that in a movie.
Mike S

Altough leaving much to desire dialogue-wise, this movie had a cool and interesting story (or rather to say intertwined series of stories), which couldn't help but remind me of "Crash" by Paul Haggis. And to my great delight, The Air I Breathe was about just as good,… More
Altough leaving much to desire dialogue-wise, this movie had a cool and interesting story (or rather to say intertwined series of stories), which couldn't help but remind me of "Crash" by Paul Haggis. And to my great delight, The Air I Breathe was about just as good, altough a bit different in its sense of storytelling and style of direction. It's a pity though that it had to be so overly ambitious, because it felt like the director was trying too hard in his aim to create something above the standard. Also, due to the mediocre writing and short running time, it regrettably lost a lot of its potential along the way. Still a good movie though that I'd definitely recommend.
Sol C

Good film. Great performances by this ensemble cast. The film kind of reminded me of Pulp Fiction. It doesn't have a traditional 3 act structure. It feels like 4 short films in one whole film. The only negative was to me the outcome for each of the 4 parts to me was predictable.… More
Good film. Great performances by this ensemble cast. The film kind of reminded me of Pulp Fiction. It doesn't have a traditional 3 act structure. It feels like 4 short films in one whole film. The only negative was to me the outcome for each of the 4 parts to me was predictable. Other than that, the film is very entertaining and worth checking out.
William G

A risible nothing-is-coincidence drama without any ultimate purpose.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Forest Whitaker as Happiness

            Brendan Fraser as Pleasure

            Sarah Michelle Gellar as Sorrow

            Kevin Bacon as Love

            Andy Garcia as Fingers

            Julie Delpy as Gina

            Clark Gregg as Henry

            Emile Hirsch as Tony

            Cecilia Suárez as Allison

            Kelly Hu as Jiyoung

            Evan Parke as Danny

            Taylor Nichols as Sorrow's Father

            Victor Rivers as Eddie

            Todd Stashwick as Frank

            Jon Bernthal as Interviewer

            Will Maier as Mr. Parks

            Eduardo Victoria as Banker 1

            Salvador García Ruiz as Banker 2

            John Cho as Banker 3

            Jason Dolley as Young Pleasure

            Sasha Pieterse as Young Sorrow

            Alex Terminel as Markie

            Fervio Castillo as Young Love

            Kari Wuhrer as Correspondent

            Josh Flaum as Gina's Assistant

            Norma Angelica as Clothing Shop Woman

            Lenny Zundel as Clothing Shop Owner

            Jack Koenig as Seedy Old Man

            George Belanger as Old Gangster

            Tomas Goros as Gangster

            Joan Seudra Morales as Gangaster

            Alejandro De La Pena as Gangaster

            Diana Garcia as Tony's Brunette

            Claudia Cervantes as Tony's Red Head

            Andrew Deichman as Pizza Delivery Guy

            Tania Himelfarb as Young Heidi

            Sheery Ham Bernard as Nurse 1

            Lisa Owen as Nurse 2

            Emilio Savinni as Tuddy

            Rodrigo Santacruz as Teenager 1

            Catherine Papile as Teenage Girl 2
See full cast