The YouTube Movie That Could: Life In A Day Drawing Rave Reviews

It's hard to believe that Life In A Day began its existence over a year ago. It was June 24, 2010, and tens of thousands of YouTubers accepted Ridley Scott and director Kevin MacDonald's challenge to film their everyday routines. Over the next few months, the filmmakers culled the raw footage to find the gems, and began stitching together a look at life on Earth as created by a crowd of amateur filmmakers.

I reviewed the film earlier this year when it streamed online during the Sundance Film Festival. The short version: It's amazing, and you should see it at your earliest convenience. Thankfully, you can do that at your local multiplex, because Life In A Day is playing in a theater near you starting this Friday, July 29, 2011. (The film played a few select theater screenings yesterday across the country as well).

Yes… this is a real movie now… with full-priced admission at the box office. And yes… it's completely worth that price and more. Heck, throw in some popcorn.

But don't just take my word for it on this extraordinary and historic film. Life In A Day is drawing rave reviews from the more traditional movie critics who are reviewing it.

Like The New York Post:

"The one thing that united the final videos, chosen from 120 countries, was the date on which they were shot: exactly one year ago on July 24, 2010. The result is a 90-minute global portrait of life at its most beautiful and poignant.”

Or The Guardian:

"A simple-but-brilliant conception, for sure, and, at its best, the amalgam of footage works like a rhythmic visual poem, with sections structured beautifully to musical accompaniment.”

Or the Hollywood Reporter:

"The Bottom Line: This amazing compilation of videos all shot the same day around the globe is one for the ages.”

Or Examiner.com:

"With their exceptionally unique documentary "Life in a Day," director Kevin Macdonald and producer Ridley Scott have captured a moment in time that doubles as both a historical record and a cinematic masterpiece.”

Or USAToday:

"Chances are July 24, 2010, was not exactly red-letter for most of us. However, it might seem otherwise upon viewing the Internet-generated Life in a Day, a mesmerizing 95-minute mosaic of footage shot on that day and selected from more than 80,000 submissions representing 192 countries.”

The film currently (as of this writing) has a 97% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

When the project began, even I wondered if it could ever be anything more than just a gimmick. And boy is it ever! Years from now, Life In A Day will stand tall as one of the better documentaries of our time, and will go into the record books as the first of many in a long line of mainstream films that are "crowdsourced," leveraging the creativity and passion of the everyday fan.

If you still need some convincing, here's the trailer:

Go see it today. And then let us know in the comments what you thought.