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MY LIFE IN RUINS

"Comedy in the Ruins"

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What You Need To Know:

MY LIFE IN RUINS is the story of Georgia, an expert on ancient history unhappily working in Greece as a tour guide. Georgia meets the love of her life and must choose between him and pursuing her academic dreams. She hopes to help the tourists to understand and appreciate Greek culture. However, the tourists simply want to stop at souvenir shops and buy ice cream. A wise, older man, Irv, encourages Georgia to ease up on the tourists and return the handsome driver’s romantic overtones.

MY LIFE IN RUINS is about choosing relationships over career and following one’s heart. The movie never mentions God. And, the assumption is that unmarried characters have sexual relations together. This last part is played out in three scenes of implied sex, two involving Georgia and the tour bus driver. The old man’s character seemingly causes things to happen such as the rain to stop or an old man to walk without his walker. He also pretends to be the Oracle at Delphi, dispensing advice to the rest of the tour group. Though somewhat pleasant, MY LIFE IN RUINS demands much caution for media-wise viewers.

Content:

(RoRo, H, Pa, Ho, L, V, SS, N, AA, M) Strong Romantic worldview tinged with humanism and mixed with mild pagan elements and some homosexual references; two obscenities and three profanities; light comedic violence; two scenes of implied sex between main unmarried couple and implied sex between older man and two younger women at the same time, but much discussion about sex; upper male nudity; drinking of alcohol and drunkenness; no smoking; and, lying, deceit.

More Detail:

MY LIFE IN RUINS is the story of Georgia, an American expert on ancient history unhappily working in Greece as a tour guide. On one particular tour, she meets the love of her life and must choose between life in Greece or leaving to pursue her academic dreams. Georgia has taken the tour guide job because she thought she would be able to help the tourists understand and appreciate Greek culture. However, the tourists simply want to stop at souvenir shops and buy ice cream.

A wise, older man, Irv, encourages Georgia not to be so uptight, to let the tourists stop and shop sometimes, and to return the handsome driver’s romantic overtures. As the tour continues, Georgia must struggle with her own issues, the problems of her needy tourists and a rival tourist agent who has set out to destroy her. In the end, Georgia makes the decision to follow her heart as the tourists all learn to bond together.

MY LIFE IN RUINS is a mildly funny movie that tries very hard to be sentimental and meaningful. Nia Vardalos as Georgia holds the story together. It’s her obvious charm that touches all the scenes. Richard Dreyfuss shines as crusty, cranky Irv. The script is somewhat predictable, however, with a very linear story and not many surprises.

The movie is about choosing relationships over career and following one’s heart. The movie never mentions God, and the assumption is that unmarried characters will be having sexual relations with one another.

The biggest negative content is seeing Irv in his hotel room with two younger, scantily clad women and showing the main characters proclaiming their love by having sexual relations. Irv’s character seemingly causes things to happen such as the rain to stop or an old man to walk without his walker. Also, Irv pretends to be the Oracle at Delphi dispensing advice to the rest of the tour group.

The movie is charming and will be compared to MY BIG, FAT GREEK WEDDING which shares the same star and behind the scenes producers Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson. However, MY LIFE IN RUINS is missing the comedy and charm of that movie.

Though somewhat pleasant to watch, MY LIFE IN RUINS demands much caution for media-wise viewers, especially families with children.