Nia Vardalos as a tour guide in Greece. Watch the trailer: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/my-life-in-ruins/34897/main
It's been a while since we took Mom to a movie since she's too wobbly for theaters with stadium seating. We chose this one since it's playing at a theater on one level that features foreign and small films. We all enjoyed Nia Vardalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a little comedy that struck gold at the box office. She stars again here so we thought this one would be entertaining. The reviews have been lackluster but we decided it would be a good 'Mom' movie and a chance for her to get out instead of us showing DVDs in her room.
My Life In Ruins started off with lame jokes and stock characters and I was prepared to be underwhelmed. About a third of the way into the movie, we began to know more about these characters and the jokes got better. Vardalos plays an American down on her luck in Greece and stuck as a tour guide for a cheapo agency. (The movie's title is a pun.) Everything she does is wrong until she listens to Richard Dreyfuss, one of her passengers. He's first presented as a loudmouth but once we learn why he is the way he is, Dreyfuss gives the film the needed spark as his advice is followed by the other tourists. When he's offscreen you miss his presence as he almost steals the movie from the rest of the cast. Everything ends well for everyone here, perhaps too neatly. But what the hell, it's only a comedy and not real life so sit back and enjoy this pleasant trifle. If you're not won over by the plot's cheeriness, at least you will appreciate the Greek scenery. Several incidents here will bring back memories to anyone who has suffered on an extended bus trip.
My Life In Ruins started off with lame jokes and stock characters and I was prepared to be underwhelmed. About a third of the way into the movie, we began to know more about these characters and the jokes got better. Vardalos plays an American down on her luck in Greece and stuck as a tour guide for a cheapo agency. (The movie's title is a pun.) Everything she does is wrong until she listens to Richard Dreyfuss, one of her passengers. He's first presented as a loudmouth but once we learn why he is the way he is, Dreyfuss gives the film the needed spark as his advice is followed by the other tourists. When he's offscreen you miss his presence as he almost steals the movie from the rest of the cast. Everything ends well for everyone here, perhaps too neatly. But what the hell, it's only a comedy and not real life so sit back and enjoy this pleasant trifle. If you're not won over by the plot's cheeriness, at least you will appreciate the Greek scenery. Several incidents here will bring back memories to anyone who has suffered on an extended bus trip.
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