This Is My Life

This film, the directorial debut of Nora Ephron, is a very interesting film that has a strong opening and a good ending, but goes a bit astray in the middle.

The dialogue is very sharp and witty, and there are many lines that are some of the more pointed ones in Ephron's filmography (she cowrote the film with her sister from a book by Meg Worlitzer). Julie Kavner is ideal as the mother turned stand-up comic, Samantha Mathis convinces as a sullen teenager, and young Gaby Hoffman is utterly charming. Their utterly convincing mother-daughter dynamic as the film opens is enthralling and compulsively watchable, and the early scenes kept me with a smile plastered to my face.

Problems arose a bit in the middle when Kavner's character went off on a comedy trip to LA, and as such was mostly absent from a section of the film. But then came the big misstep. Most of this movie feels like this type of film that mothers can watch comfortably with their teen and tween daughters, and then all of a sudden is an admittedly funny *(through its sheer awkwardness), but surprisingly graphic and extended teen bedroom scene that seems to have drifted in from an entirely different film. As this is the first (and last) scene of that type in the film, it throws things into a precarious state for a while, because this is not the type of film that seemingly gave any hint of heading that way.

But to the film's credit, it does get back on track with closing sequences that might be expected, but they do ring true, and give all three leads time to shine. They also feature some fresh material for Caroline Arron, and a funny disagreement scene between Kavner and Dan Aykroyd over it's a Wonderful Life.

What makes the movie worth watching is its honest look at the type of sacrifices that happen when somebody hits the big time, its three wonderful performances, and also that it gives Kavner a rare leading part which is nice to see. There are also 3 pretty good Carly Simon songs to top things off, so while not a perfect film, it is worth a look.

The gritty Meg Wolitzer novel Ephron's script is based on is far darker than the cinematic end result, but that doesn't keep this movie from being a sweet, subtle and empathetic (to _all_ its characters, even the potential caricature of a paper-gnawing agent played by Dan Aykroyd) story. It's also as much of a love letter to New York as Woody Allen's "Manhattan" or "Everyone Says I Love You." This isn't a typical Ephron movie the way "Sleepless in Seattle" or "You've Got Mail" are, whatever you might think of them; it's about the genuine trauma of adolescence, the complexities of trying to be a grownup when you're still figuring yourself out, and--transcending the cliche of "the tears of a clown"--the sadness that often lurks behind the most successful lives in comedy and the sacrifices comedians make to get there. The soundtrack by Carly Simon is an extra treat. Highly recommended.

This would be a great movie to watch during a rainy night in, or whenever. A movie about family bonds, specifically a loving single mom and her two daughters. The movie focuses around this family and their ups and downs.

The mother quits her sales job as she tries to make it as a stand-up comic. However, as she gains popularity, she accidently puts her family-life becomes second to her career.

The movie has some awkward moments, especially for Erica as she's an awkward teen girl. A little *too awkward*, iykyk. I don't see how that scene is PG-13 appropriate. I guess it's different times now.

This is a not so good flick about an aspiring and unfunny stand up comedienne. There is a great little subplot involving the Sam Mathis character and her dopey boyfriend. Ending in a very funny and daring love scene. I would have like to have seen a whole film about the Sam Mathis daughter character and the boyfriend instead. The rest of the film, the script, direction, etc. are the just awful.

I just watched this movie for the third time. I chose to watch it on Mother's Day because this is about as realistic a tale about mother-and-daughter bonding and growing pains as you will ever see. Julie Kavner is nothing short of amazing as Dotty, a stand-up comic from Ozone Park, Queens, waiting for her chance to make it to the big time. But, life necessitates tradeoffs. As her career takes off, Dotty is unable to spend much time with her kids who grow resentful. And with her older daughter Erica (an excellent performance by Samantha Mathis) now in the awkward early teen years, everything Dotty does is a personal embarrassment to Erica.

The direction is a bit on the claustrophobic and episodic side. Aside from experimenting with the number of different ways to show polka dots, this is not a visually impressive film, nor is it meant to be.

But on its own terms, it is sweet, warm, winning, and true.