Summer is not really romantic comedy season, but here comes My Life In Ruins. MLIR stars Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) again, with the Greek theme in the background. This movie debuted last week with a very disappointing showing at the box office and is bound to get lost in the summer movie shuffle.
Meet Georgia (Vardalos). She is a 30 something single tour guide in Greece specializing in 4 day bus trips. Georgia moved to Greece to take a teaching job, but when it didn't work out she had to choose a new career path. She has become uptight, and sort of reclusive. She is also the worlds worst tour guide. Then she takes on the final tour of her career, and the passengers on this particular ride become the inspiration she needs to make the changes in her life, and get herself back in the love game. It also helps to have the single, hunk-of-the-year as the bus driver. Will she find love at last? Well that's MLIR.
To be perfectly fair, this movie staggers, and I mean staggers out of the gate. Some of the first 20 minutes or so are so bad, and awkward, it bordered on unwatchable. But is does recover to a degree, and picks up some steam. That's if you're not poisoned by the start. Horribly written, poorly acted, and terrible at the outset.
MLIR though does have one thing going for it- Nia Vardalos. Just as she was in Greek Wedding, Nia is lovely and engaging as the loveable, can't-get-it-right underdog in love. She is funny, quick, shameless, clueless, and vulnerable at times. She may be painting herself into an acting corner, but she does this kind of role very well. This movie isn't even filmed without her in the lead. Although, this is two Greek parody movies]...time to move on Nia.
My Life In Ruins is a little movie. A quick 88 minutes, with simple music, and a wonderful backdrop of Greece to give it some life. Richard Dreyfuss leads a supporting cast that is supposed to help carry this movie, but doesn't. Too many characters and not enough talent among them. Many fall flat, and become cumbersome. A rewrite would have helped.
To be fair, there are some very funny moments in this movie, and a touch or two of realness that keeps it from being a total flop. I fear this movie may just get lost in the box office onslaught, but it's out there. Date night movie - you bet!
My Life In Ruins. Nia Vardalos is great. The movie? Not great....but for Vardalos fans, or the romantics out there, it is a simple night at the movies.
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