Five

A Thoughtful Change Of Pace From Lifetime: Five Overlapping Stories About Breast Cancer
In the world of Lifetime movies, there are two basic genres. ONE: A woman triumphing over hardship, adversity, or abuse in a tough, but life affirming, "based on real incidents" TV docudrama. And TWO: The prurient "ripped from the headline" scandal or crime story that borrow from real cases and wallow in distasteful dramatic recreations. While I suppose, on some level, that the heartfelt examination of breast cancer "Five" fits into the first category, it could not be further from the formula filmmaking that the network is known for. For one thing, it is packed with marquee name talent both before and behind the camera. As this special was readied for Breast Cancer Awareness month in 2011, the advertising campaign placed a lot of emphasis on the powerhouse roster of directors behind these five intertwined stories. Jennifer Aniston, Alicia Keys, and Demi Moore all are responsible behind the scenes for one story with Patty Jenkins (who guided Charlize Theron to an Oscar in Monster)...

Funny, moving, and dramatically satisfying
Five is composed of five short films directed by five different directors--Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore, Penelope Spheeris, Alicia Keys, and Patty Jenkins--that form a continuous narrative. The theme is the impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on the life of the person with the disease and that person's family and friends.

It sounds like a recipe for a depressing and overly-sentimental film, but that's not the case here. There is sadness here but there is also triumph, humor, hope . . . consequences that someone who has never faced this wouldn't even think of. Characters who are human beings--flawed, unwilling to face painful truths, not afraid to love or be loved in spite of it all. Yes, you want to have a hanky handy when you watch this, but you'll also roar with laughter as this amazingly talented cast performs these beautifully written scripts.

Powerful, sentimental, funny . . . most of all, comforting and life affirming.

Talented Cast, Lots of Laughs and Lots of Kleenex needed
Five stories intertwine about the way breast cancer affects the lives of women and men who suffer from it. They humanize the coping process through comedy, love, and strength. The stories are bold and brave. The actors don't glamorize the situations; instead bring them down to a level that we can all relate to and raises our awareness to something that we are often asleep to. A true conversational piece that keeps you talking.

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