Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
My Life in Ruins (2009)
Director: Donald Petrie
Movie review
From Time Out New York
Isn’t Greek cheese at least supposed to arrive at the table aflame? My Life in Ruins takes the tepid framework of the aimless travelogue—ooh, statues—and weds it to the mysteriously durable appeal of Nia Vardalos, whose blandly likable turn in My Big Fat Greek Wedding seriously tested the limits of stardom. Here she plays Georgia, an American expat bounced into an accidental life as a mediocre Grecian tour guide who needs to find her inner spirit and, inevitably, do that robust Anthony Quinn dance. Assisting her on her journey is a thinly conceived busload of tourists (American boors, Spanish hotcha mamas, English snobs, etc.), all of whom learn lessons in shucking clichés as they steer Georgia toward Poupi (Georgoulis), their broodalicious bus driver.
Settling for My Life in Ruins requires a serious lowering of the bar: like digging a groove for it. Amazingly, we’re supposed to learn lessons in adventurousness from a movie that plays like a 1980s TV special episode, but if there’s one thing the pinched-face Vardalos seems incapable of, it’s veering from the comfort zone. “Act!,” you’ll scream at her. She’ll shrug. When ham bone Richard Dreyfuss, smirking his way through the role of a pontificating widow, is your chief source of pleasure, it’s time to push this Trojan horse outside.
Author: Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out New York Issue 714: June 4 - 10, 2009
Cast & crew
Director: Donald Petrie
Cast: Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, Alexis Georgoulis, Alistair McGowan, Harland Williams, Rachel Dratch, Caroline Goodall, Ian Ogilvy full cast
Duration: 98 mins
US Release: Jun 5 2009
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
London Children's Film Festival
Read our exclusive reviews of films playing at the 2009 London Children’s Film Festival
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
The Coen brothers discuss 'A Serious Man'
Masters of contrary comedy, Joel and Ethan Coen have struck gold again with their latest, ‘A Serious Man’
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations












What do you think?
Post your review now