I was invited to the Greek premiere of "My life In Ruins" held in advance here in Athens 2 days ago. Nia Vardalos was present along with the director & the producer of this film and they were honored for "advertising" my country abroad. Unfortunately, the wonderful Richard Dreyfuss was not present. Anyway,about the movie.This is a very predictable,cliché & mediocre "travelling comedy" that a few people may find amusing. Vardalos is using again her Greek roots to perform a part which is practically the only thing she has proved to us she can deliver as an actress: Neurotic Greek American woman,unhappy with her job,life etc in a bus trip through the Greek land which changes her life.All of these feelings superficially felt & depicted. The supporting cast is enjoyable though (all types of travelers i have seen visiting my country in a somewhat overreacting depiction,the creepy bus driver who falls for Vardalos) and of course Richard Dreyfuss is the lead of them all delivering a hilarious performance & the best lines of the film while doing some Greek sightseeing at the same time. The beautiful Greek surroundings will definitely be a good reason for the viewer to watch the film & even if he has no plans to visit my country he might change his mind soon. There is some great shooting including locations of important ancient Greek history like Delphi & The Parthenon (in his first real movie appearance for over 30 years!). The magic of these places is there indeed for the viewer to feel but is this enough really to pay for the movie ticket? apart from that the humor is weak,fat & folklore (stemming from extremely childish situations)and so is the entire point of view of the director. As a Greek i never liked this type of folklore approach Ms.Vardalos is so keen on giving us every time... simply because things here are so different from the Greek American perception & if the Greek American people involved in this production actually knew it,they would probably reconsider. Synopsis: Watch the film if you enjoyed your travel in Greece or if you plan on visiting soon. But apart from that, the movie is weak & not so smart,easily forgotten in the long run of the bus in the distance between Delphi & Acropol...
Review of My Life in Ruins
