Vacances à la grecque

My Life in Ruins is corny, clichéd, predictable and a totally fun way to spend an afternoon. Every now then a movie will come along and change your life. This is not one of those movies. It is not highly original or well acted but it is a funny and feel good film. My Life in Ruins is about tour guide Georige (Nia Vardalos) who is bored with her job, disappointed with life and generally just too uptight. Thanks to a tour passenger Irv (Richard Deyfuss) who takes on a guardian angel role and a sexy "ugly swan" bus driver (Alexis Georgoulis), Georgie begins to look at life on a whole new level. Some of this movie is a little one dimensional. The Australian tourist whose singular role in the movie is to prove no one can understand us and that we like drinking way too much were a little corny. However, none of this stops the movie from being funny, fun and really entertaining. Vardolos continues to be a delight on screen and her co-star Alexis Georgoulis is really really hot. My advice is see this film, take along some high fat snacks and don't feel guilty about either. After all, as the film preaches life is too short to do anything else.

I saw this film at a screening and it was fun and made me laugh and remember why we go to the movies-to be entertained. It's a timeless sweet and romantic story, with a lot of humorous moments throughout. The cast is centered by the talented Nia Vardalos, who effortlessly brings a very different, yet still enjoyable, character to life than in previous films. As Georgia, Vardalos once again displays her uncanny ability to portray a relatable character, and reinforces why we love her. The supporting cast was also great, and their characters were so real and typical and funny that I felt like this was written about a tour bus I was once on. I'm sure many people have either encountered people like them before or are related to someone like them. Alexis G, the bus driver was like a modern Greek God, and I couldn't believe his talent as an actor actually matched his good looks.

Anyone who sees this film will find something to laugh at, because the humor in this film can be appreciated no matter where you're from. And following them along their journey through the astoundingly beautiful Greece and it's historic sights, is icing on the cake. Not only would it be worth the price of the movie ticket to see this movie, but it might just make you want to buy a ticket to Greece. I know it made me want to.

Sorry, Nia. I'm a fan....but this movie falls pretty flat. The comedy writing is contrived and predictable. There were some laugh out loud moments. But they were too few and far between. Most of the characters are cardboard cut-outs. They are unbelievable and obnoxious. And the story? Well, we've seen it a million times before. Richard Dreyfuss is the HIGHLIGHT of this film. It is in scenes with Nia and Dreyfuss that the movie shines. The scene at the beach was so brief but so powerful...Dreyfuss makes the most of those brief moments. The scenery,however,is fantastic! To see the ruins of Greece on the big screen...what a treat. Overall, I felt this movie was trying way too hard to be funny....much like the tour guide in the movie. Wait for it to come out on video.

Has anyone seen the 1969 movie "If this is Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium?". " My life in Ruins"-what an excellent if corny title- is much the same theme. The film could have been serialised in Mad magazine. No, it is not a great movie but good light entertainment not to be taken seriously. I dwell in Greece and like Nia I am a Greek Canadian, we both speak Greek fluently enough but with a bad accent. I have never taken a bus tour in Greece but have Canadian friends who did and have told me of similar experiences as those shown in the movie. My one and only experience as a tourist on a bus full of Torontonians and Montrealers was in Mexcio in 1977 and it was pretty much the same. A crazy and life threatening driver called Pedro, a funny guide Pepe who realised we all wanted more humour than education about the Mexican ruins etc "Thees was where the thee pipi room was. You know, when the Aztecs they wanna make pipi". My Life in Ruins spares nobody be they Greek, American, Canadian, Spanish, British or Australian. I think it would be hard to appreciate the comedy for anyone who has never visited Greece or ever been part of a tourist bus group and laugh as much as I did. That's the thing about comedies, probably the most difficult of all movie genres; one has to relate to the situation and to the characters. I would put My Life in Ruins on a par with My Big Fat Greek Wedding (though not the later TV show which was a disaster).

For the past week it feels like Greece cannot stop talking about this film! I was lucky enough to be invited by a friend to the world premiere in Athens (am Greek-American, grew up in Baltimore, married here, so living in Athens for about five years.) The Premiere was an elegant occasion with a private reception with delicious food. The audience of about 1500 people went crazy for this film. They laughed and laughed and clapped and everyone I talked to said they wanted to see it again. This movie has captured the joy of life in this country I love. But just like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, you don't have to be Greek to like it. It is such a funny movie and beautiful to look at. All the actors do a great job and Nia and Alexis are very romantic together. When they look at each other, you actually believe they're a couple (I know they're not!!) Just like with the first movie, I know Greeks can laugh at themselves (I was there, I heard them laughing like crazy!! Of course, there are always insecure people in this world but I think those type of people get offended by anything so who cares?) so I am sure the movie will do well here, and also in every country because it is a movie about tourists and traveling and being able to fall in love when you think there isn't a chance for you anymore. All I can say is, once again, Vardalos got it right."