Ma vie est une comédie

A charming little movie directed and co-written by the brilliant Nora Ephron. Well drawn characters, inventive script and first-class acting throughout by an ensemble led by Julie Kavner and featuring Carrie. Fisher and Dan Aykroyd. With unusual insight and intelligence, it follows the show business career of a department store cosmetologist, would-be comedienne and single mother and the father who abandoned the children. Few films so realistically and gently portray the tensions in the lives of very good mothers and really good children as they struggle to balance the needs of school, family and career, and not always succeeding. It is easy to identify with these characters and to root for their success.

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.

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.

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.

With a staunch history of detesting "chick flicks," I as SO prepared to dislike this film, but then I found myself drawn in with a giant smile on my face, not because it is especially funny, but for the disarming ad utterly charming performances of the two youthful leads Samantha Mathis and Gaby Hoffman. Certainly, the situation is a well-worn one that I need not relate here, but it's execution is uniquely underplayed, giving the characters and film a believably real tone and feeling. You'll find yourself, as did I, falling hopelessly in love with the girls, wanting to hug and protect them, and making sure it all turns out okay for them.

If you have the opportunity, to not deny yourself the pleasurable experience this film provides.