Life according to Mike
Mike's life is slowly but surely falling apart. He's lost his job, he can't find a new one, and he has to work night shifts at a sleazy bar to make ends meet. His girlfriend dumps him and informs him that she is leaving the country with their daughter and not coming back. On top of everything, the IRS approaches him with an audit on all of his past financial records.
It seems like things can’t possibly get any worse for Mike until he goes down to see his oldest friend in the world one day while struggling to contemplate suicide — only to hear that his friend has terminal cancer and won't be around much longer. Feeling as if there is no reason to live anymore, Mike decides to pay a final visit to his friend before he dies and say bye.
Mike ends up at a secluded cabin in the middle of nowhere where his friend lives with his family. While there, Mike's youngest son suddenly disappears. After a frantic search by all the kids and adults, they find the boy standing in an open field near the edge of a large forest. The field is completely surrounded by thick forest on all four sides and no one knows how he could have gotten out without them noticing him leave without having seen him go through the forest surrounding them. While out in the field, he claimed to have seen a "man" who had told him that if he followed him into the woods, that the man would make all of his problems go away.
Mike's son starts showing signs of severe mental trauma and paranoia. He becomes a completely different person. Mike's friend quickly passes away, and his son becomes even more disturbed and withdrawn following the death of his father.
As things continue to worsen for Mike and his son at home, both have terrifying nightmares about this mysterious “man” that led his son out into the woods and made him say things to Mike which nobody should ever be able to know about.
Mike's son ends up going through intense therapy and medication, and he eventually seems to be back to normal. However, he continues to share with Mike that he has not seen the man again since going into the woods. The dreams stop too. Mike notices his son is much happier around his mother's new boyfriend than he is…but just when things seem like they are finally getting better for them, Mike's son gets kidnapped by the tall mysterious "man" who lead him into the woods in front of their family and friends. Mike goes out into the forest, and tries to find his son, but all he finds are dead animals and a desolate wasteland where nothing seems to grow and nature itself is dying. He goes back home to see his wife in tears with her new boyfriend, who is now holding their son in his lap, completely unresponsive as they passionately kiss each other.
Mike's wife runs off to the woods with her boyfriend, leaving Mike all alone with their son who remains unresponsive and catatonic. As night falls, Mike goes into the kitchen for some water and discovers an empty bottle of pills on the table that were left behind by his wife's new boyfriend. He takes it into the bathroom to examine it under a light. He finds the label on the bottle reads "METHADONE" and he instantly knows that his doctor has prescribed him some of this medication for pain which he apparently got a prescription for from his wife's new boyfriend. Mike looks at the bottle, and then at himself in the mirror — no longer a healthy looking, fit man, but rather…a withered old scared-looking pale homeless man wearing an old dirty cover and coat like he is living in the woods without any clothes on….
The End.
Critic Ian Jane rated "Life According To Mike" 1.5 out of 5 stars, writing that it is, "not surprising that Drew Barrymore wasn't able to salvage this pedestrian thriller. Too derivative, and too predictable, even the unintentionally macabre moments feel tired, and a couple of the characters are so one-dimensional they may as well have been cut out of a newspaper cartoon made up to satirize typical movie stereotypes."
"MovieMistress.com" gave the film 2 1/2 stars out of 5, writing that: "Life According To Mike" is an intriguing thriller about two family members who discover a hidden cabin in pristine wilderness. The mysterious forest provides the perfect location for some gruesome and shocking events. The film is not as good as it should be...but it should definitely be watched because it presents an original idea which may come back in a sequel.
"TheFilmStage.com" rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, writing that: "The film has that ineffable quality that makes it too hard to classify. Is it a horror? A thriller? A psychological drama? An expose of the dangers of parental alienation? I suppose we could call it a vampire movie if we wanted to be pedantic."
Director Drew Barrymore plays the lead character Mike Fine in an attempt to break away from a series of genre-based films she and her father intended for her to star in with him. As such, "Life According To Mike will not be known for its similarities to his other movies. In this case, it's more likely a film that was made for the horror/thriller genre but with a twist that makes it stand out."
The film title comes from a book titled "Life According to Mike: A Charmed Life" by Christine Sneed.
It also won Best Short Film at the 2005 Sitges Film Festival.
The song "Darkness Falls", by Limp Bizkit, was featured in the film just after the scene where an FBI agent is shot and killed by Mike's son.
In 2010, Drew Barrymore confirmed her intentions of a sequel to "Life According To Mike" that would have focused on Michael's wife.
3rd Person Productions, LLC will be doing a sequel to "Life According To Mike". The film will be directed by Drew Barrymore and Courtney Puckett. Filming is slated to begin in the fall of 2013.
In 2013, it was announced that Icon Productions has acquired the rights to remake the film "Life According To Mike" for television.
The horror-thriller film "Lifeline", about a man who spends his entire life trying to find out what happened on a date with his girlfriend from when he was younger, is loosely based on "Life According To Mike".
Drew Barrymore and Courtney Puckett will be executive-producing the film for 3rd Person Productions.
The song "I'll Stay" from the album "III" by Thirty Seconds to Mars is featured in the film during a montage of scenes.
The song "Rubies" from the album "In Utero" by Nirvana is featured in the film just after Mike's son shows up naked at his mother's house.
7-27 Films released an official trailer for the film on their official YouTube channel on Christmas Day, December 25, 2011. The trailer was shown at Drew Barrymore’s horror short film festival Gulliver’s Travels in Los Angeles, CA.
Conclusion Pictures released an official trailer for the film on their official YouTube channel in May 2013.
Cinema Epoch released a DVD of the film in both R-Rated and Unrated versions.
3rd Person Productions, LLC will be releasing a sequel to "Life According To Mike". The film will be directed by Drew Barrymore and Courtney Puckett. Filming is slated to begin in the fall of 2013.
In 2010, Drew Barrymore confirmed her intentions of a sequel to "Life According To Mike" that would have focused on Michael's wife.
Cinema Epoch released a DVD of the film in both R-Rated and Unrated versions.