My Life

Rating:
Summary: This movie makes you ask: What's my legacy?
Review: "My Life" is a movie that goes beyond simple entertainment. It actually stops you dead in your tracks, and casues you to reflect deeply on your own life's purpose. This movie will help your remember and cherish what's most important.

Rating:
Summary: Facing the inevitable
Review: "When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully" - Samuel Johnson

Michael Keaton gives an effective and heart-felt performance as Bob Jones, a young, successful PR executive married to a beautiful woman (Nicole Kidman) who is expecting their first child. The bottom falls out of his life when he is diagnosed with a fatal illness, and only given months to live. He is forced to exam his life that he's really just been rushing through. Bob Jones not only has never stopped to smell the roses; he hasn't even noticed that they are there at all.

'My Life' is a realistic portrayl of what must go through one's mind when one is brought up short by such stunning news. Although the topic is certainly depressing, it is something we will all one day face. This is how one man deals with the terribly bad hand he has been delt. Especially poignant is the fact that not only won't he probably be around to help raise his child, but he might not even make it long enough to see his child born. Heart-wrenching.

In several pivotal scenes, Jones decides to hope for a miracle, and visits an Asian healer (Haing Ngor who starred in 'The Killing Fields')who tells him that he has too much anger and hurt in him. Jones resists the whole notion of exploring how he got to where he is, at least for a while. His anger at his family is one point of anger he must struggle with.

Keaton does an excellent job here. We see flashes of the actor we saw in 'Mr. Mom' and earlier movies, sort of a lovable, good-hearted guy with a funny edge to him. His Bob Jones evolves slowly and realistically from a man who is stunned and angry, to a man determined to let his child know who he is. Ngor also plays the right note as a practioner who can't cure his patient, but perhaps can help him in his last journey.

A potentially maudlin, down-beat subject is handled with just the right amount of empathy and gentleness and with a light touch.

Highly recommended. Very highly recommended if you've had such a scare, are living with a terminal illness, or have had a loved one deal with such issues.

Rating:
Summary: Just needs to come out on DVD.
Review: All previous reviews (except the obvious one) I agree with. It's only improvement would to be digitizing, and releasing on DVD.

Rating:
Summary: whew!
Review: an amazing movie...i was totally drawn in from the opening scene..michael keaton is fantastic..the scenes with his father and family made me feel like i was reliving my childhood..nicole kidman was wonderful..if u have ever suffered the loss of a loved one, this movie will make an incredible connection with you.scenes from this movie will stay with me for a long time...don't miss it...

Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking
Review: Bruce Joel Rubin won an Oscar for writing "Ghost" (a film I kinda liked) and has also scribed "Jacob's Ladder" and "Deep Impact". Yet here, in his only directorial feature, he paints a picture of inner turmoil and redemption so poignant that you'll bawl your eyes out (like I did). Released the same year as the hyped-up Tom Hanks AIDS drama "Philadelphia", "My Life" proves to be a much better film in that instead of presenting a stereotype and asking us to sympathize with him because it was revolutionary according to Hollywood standards, Rubin takes a theme which is relatively familiar to cinema, adds the twist of the man videotaping his own life, and asks us to share the psychological pain the man is going through. I do not believe I have ever seen Michael Keaton in a better role than this; the camera lingers on his face through many shots, such as one where he has just viewed a colleague's cold-hearted description of him, and another where he's staring into a mirror. There's a wiseacre brilliance to Keaton's acting style, and one thing I've noticed about him through the years is how he plays devoted father-types: "Mr. Mom", "One Good Cop", "Multiplicity". None of these movies showcase Keaton's talent of emotional hurt beneath a wisecracking exterior like "My Life" does, however, and perhaps that's just as well. The film proceeds through his cancer by steps: denial, anger, acceptance, etc. And yet the film doesn't feel like an AA meeting. The late, great Haing S. Ngor provides a Zen type of philosophy as a faith healer, and his advice to Keaton in the movie leads to a subplot involving Keaton's blue-collar parents that gives the film an additional layer of meaning. The Ukranian wedding and reception reminded me of "The Deer Hunter" in the fact that the culture of the characters define who they are and are given greater force in regards to the final tragedy. The most moving aspect of the film involves Keaton's search for forgiveness from his father, who is shown in the film as a chain-smoker perhaps as an ironic twist that his son is the one with the cancer. This motif is continued during the final ten minutes as the father flicks his lighter on and off while his son lie dying in the next room, unable to smoke a cigarette. This film received mixed reviews from film critics when it was first released (compared to the raving they did for "Philadelphia"), yet as time moves on, I believe this film will move more people in the end than Hanks'. The final realization of the backyard circus near the end of the film is one of the most moving examples of the "Good things happen to those who wait" virtues that I've ever seen captured on film, and the utter inevitability of the father-son reconciliation is held back for just so long and so perfectly understated that it ranks with "Field of Dreams" as a testament to the final fruits of fatherhood. "My Life" also includes a beautiful score by John Barry, the same man who wrote the music for "Born Free", "Out of Africa", "Dances with Wolves", and "Cry the Beloved Country". His music for this film ranks among his best and is regularly featured on news shows whenever they want to evoke sentiment. The whole movie has the weight of tragedy over it, but it's exhilarating that the film can make you care so much. The film's example of a loving husband-and-wife is perfectly illustrated in the shot where Keaton and Nicole Kidman gently dance together in the middle of an amusement park as people walk by worried about their own minute problems. This is a beautiful movie.

Rating:
Summary: Hope amid death
Review: Definitely one of the best movies I have seen (in my personal top 10) hence must be incredible to rate a mention on the honour list. A tale of courage and hope, resilience amid death. Keaton gives a fine performance as a cancer victim and soon to be father. He prepares numerous videos of himself to show to his newborn son when he matures. These tapes in itself are humorous and heartwarming. Kidman's performance is also worth a mention, as Keaton's screen parents. He learns to love the little things in life and to let go his stress and rage inside of him. This is a truly sad film but the ending of him dying inspires hope - there may be life beyond death. The useful metaphor of the rollercoaster is sad and heartfelt. Happiness emerges in his consolation with his parents and brother. The final half an hour is one of the finest last half an hours in 21st century drama - rivals the brilliance of Travolta's Phenomenon. Phenomenon(also rating a 10/10 in my opinion) is greatly challenged. The circus metaphor is also another useful one- shows the alienation between father and son which is ultimately broken.

Rating:
Summary: Have a FULL box of kleenex ready
Review: I knew this movie was suppose to be a "tear jerker", I wasn't prepared for the magnitude of it. Having said that, I should also say it really made me think. As Keaton resolves his feelings about his life and how he's lived it, I learned a lot about my own. Sounds corny but I think I came away a better person after watching this one.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie
Review: I must say this movie is very sad. I do not like to cry but I cried at the end. This movie is about a man who gives all he can to his family. He makes one wish to live to see his child being born. I have to say the ending to this movie really moved me as a person. I rate this movie a 5 because the whole movie was wonderful. I recommend this movie to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie but DVD edition is Full frame version only
Review: I was so looking forward to own this movie on DVD. I purchased it through amazon.ca and contrary to the description on the website, what I received was the Full Frame version only and not the Widescreen/Full version as advertized. Please be aware when ordering this title. The movie itself is awesome.

Rating:
Summary: IT WAS
Review: IT WAS SICK SHE GIVES BIRTH AND SHE HOLDS IT NAKE