Entertainment

'This Is Us' Fans Are Going To Lose It When They See The New Trailer For 'Life Itself'

by Kelly Schremph

This Is Us may be about to meet its match when it comes to emotional manipulation on screen — at least if the Life Itself trailer is any indication of the weep-athon that's sure to be in store. Created by Dan Fogelman, the mastermind behind the popular NBC drama, Life Itself looks closely at the lives of numerous people, whose stories will undoubtedly be weaved together in unsuspecting ways. And yes, you're definitely going to want to bring an entire box of tissues to the movie theater with you, because it's guaranteed to be a tearjerker.

There are numerous characters introduced throughout the two and a half minute clip, though the main couple at the center of it all is Will and Abby, played by Oscar Isaac and Olivia Wilde. Their love story serves as the driving force for everything else that happens as their relationship progresses from dating to marriage to soon-to-be parenthood. And given the swoon-worthy speech Will gives at the start of their epic romance (and the start of the trailer), he's clearly taking a page out of the Jack Pearson playbook.

“I’m waiting for the right moment, because when I ask you out, there’s not going to be any turning back for me,” Will tells Abby in the trailer. “I’m not going to date anybody else for the rest of my life. I’m not going to love anybody else for the rest of my life. I’m waiting for the right moment, because … when I ask you out, it’s going to be the most important moment of my life. And I just want to make sure that I get it right.” (I'm not crying, YOU'RE crying!)

Additional cast members include all-star players such as Annette Bening, Antonio Banderas, Mandy Patinkin, Olivia Cooke, Laia Costa, Alex Monner and Sergio Peris-Mencheta. So yeah, to say that this is going to be a must-see film is definitely an understatement.

The project means a lot to Fogelman himself, who tweeted out a message shortly after the trailer was released and revealed the inspiration behind the idea, writing:

"Two years ago I sat down to write a film, only realizing after that I’d written it for my mom (who we lost ten years ago) and my wife (who I met exactly one year later). I hope you like the trailer. I think you’ll like the movie. I am crazy about everyone involved. #LifeItself"

And while the movie doesn't come out until Sept. 21, it's already getting rave reviews from some of Fogelman's This Is Us stars. Milo Ventimiglia, who plays the practically perfect Jack Pearson on the series, praised Life Itself on Twitter, even going so far as to call it life-changing.

"Never been more impacted by a film," Ventimiglia wrote. "Hey all, our boy Danny has a film comin out...and it will change your life. #LifeItself MV"

Mandy Moore, who stars opposite Ventimiglia on This Is Us as his wife Rebecca, also had nothing but nice things to say about the film and Fogelman himself, writing, "Everything @Dan_Fogelman touches is brilliant—life-affirming, heart breaking and everything in between. This movie is no exception and I can’t wait to see it again. #lifeitself"

Even Barbra Streisand couldn't contain her excitement over the movie, calling it "Complex, romantic, shocking, mysterious, moving... like life itself" on Twitter.

Needless to say, Life Itself is already a big hit, though when one is dealing with the same creative mind behind the likes of This Is Us, one doesn't expect anything less.

The tagline at the end reads: "Life will surprise you." No truer words have ever been spoken, though if there's one thing that shouldn't surprise you it's how much therapy we're all going to need after watching this film.