Petrie, who handled slapstick with ease in Miss Congeniality, has lost his timing with this one. There's none of the blithely nonsensical spirit that infuses the atmosphere when actors are enjoying themselves.
My Life in Ruins (2009)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:110
Fresh:11
Rotten:99
Average Rating:3.6/10
Consensus: With stereotypical characters and a shopworn plot, My Life in Ruins is a charmless romantic comedy.
Australian Rating: PG [See Full Rating] Mild sexual references and coarse language
Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins
Genre: Comedies
Australian Theatrical Release:
Jul 16, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $8,474,608
Synopsis: From Nia Vardalos, writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, comes the uplifting comedy My Life in Ruins. Georgia (Nia Vardalos) has lost her kefi (Greek for “mojo”). Discouraged by her lack... From Nia Vardalos, writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, comes the uplifting comedy My Life in Ruins. Georgia (Nia Vardalos) has lost her kefi (Greek for “mojo”). Discouraged by her lack of direction in life, she works as a travel guide, leading a rag-tag group of tourists as she tries to show them the beauty of her native Greece while waiting to land her dream job. Opening their eyes to an exotic foreign land, she too begins to see things in new ways—finding her kefi and possibly love in the process. --© Fox Searchlight [More]
Starring: Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, Maria Adanez, Sheila Bernette
Starring: Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, Maria Adanez, Sheila Bernette, Maria Botto, Rachel Dratch, Alexis Georgoulis, Ralph Nossek, Bernice Stegers, Harland Williams, Ian Gomez
Director: Donald Petrie
Director: Donald Petrie
Screenwriter: Mike Reiss
Producer: Michelle Chyzdik Smith, Nathalie Marciano
Composer: David Newman
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Reviews for My Life in Ruins
Tired and cliche-ridden, saved only by the authentic scenery, with the movie allowed unprecedented access to sites in Greece such as The Acropolis.
The film contains a constant stream of lowbrow gags and pratfalls as Georgia lurches her way towards happiness, romance and a secure job in the Grecian tourist trade. It's lightweight, inoffensive fluff.
The main attraction of the film is visiting some of the great sites of Greece.
My Big Fat Greek Disaster as the familiar sights of mainstream romcoms are presented in a terrible, uninspired tour.
We almost get to care about Georgia's fate, if it weren't for the fact that none of the film rings true and real
There's no denying Nia Vardalos' appeal as the stitched up Greek tour guide lacking in people skills who discovers there is romance in more than classical history, but it is all too simplistic and contrived
Nia Vardalos is as charming and watchable as ever but this is cliche ridden fluff.
Hollywood doesn’t know what to do with difference, any more than it does with ruins. It’s about time Vardalos, or someone, gave the suits a guided tour.
As the end of the road finally draws near, you'll need to pull over and throw up.
The film and all its characters are as tacky and charmless at the end as they are on first impressions.
While Vardalos does her big fat best to keep it fresh, the duff characters and uninspired direction make Greece look as appealing as a week-old kebab.
Vardalos’ peppy charm and the postcard scenery make for pleasant diversions, but there’s no getting away from the script’s mawkishness.
It's a bit like ouzo: seems like fun at the time but you'll no doubt regret it in the morning.
It's like Mamma Mia! without the songs, wit and charm, or Shirley Valentine after a full frontal lobotomy.
Turgid, sappy and utterly failing to utilise a cast including Richard Dreyfuss, it's bad enough to make you smash plates over your own head.
The film is sweet and has a jolly holiday feel but is sadly let down by Nia's unfunny acting.
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