Customer Reviews

My Life Without Me

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

MY LIFE WITHOUT ME is one of those American made Indies that rekindles faith that we DO know how to make these small, character driven films that have the courage to make a social statement or two and still be wholly entertaining. Isabel Coixet is the creator here and she has assembled a cast that combines highly experienced professionals with actors less well known and makes an ensemble movie that works on every level. There is no giving away the plot in this outing, as from the very first words uttered you know that you are going to 'live through' the dying process of Ann, the perfect mother and wife who incidentally has advanced metastatic ovarian cancer when she first visits her doctor for nausea. Sarah Polley creates a believable lead, holding back the gush and the devastation that accompany her discovery, and instead gives us a young woman who makes a 'list of things to do before I die' and then proceeds on with her life and its new order until she does indeed die. Along the way we get to know her husband Don (played with wit, sensuality, and empathy by Scott Speedman), her co-worker - the ever-dieting Laurie (Amanda Plummer), her assignation lover Lee (Mark Rufallo, always growing as an actor), her mother (Deborah Harry), her hairdresser (Maria de Medeiros), her father (Alfred Molina in a brief but perfectly acted cameo), and a new friend Ann (Leonor Watling - watch this actress...). The story borders on morose but never quite crosses over and it is to Coixet's credit that what could have been a sloppy soap opera outing proves to be a lesson on the value of living. An excellent film on all counts.

Sarah Polley ("Exotica", "Go") plays Anne, a 23 year old, poor rural housewife with two young daughters. She has a completely unselfish manner, until she discovers she has only a few months to live. Anne decides to keep this a secret from everyone, including her husband played by Scott Speedman ("Underworld", "Duets") and her long suffering Mom played by Deborah Harry. Drafting a note, Anne lists ten things she is determined to do before she dies. These include telling her daughters she loves them everyday, leaving cassettes for both daughters birthdays until they are eighteen and also having sex with one other man. That man is well played by Mark Ruffalo ("In The Cut', "The Last Castle") who falls hopelessly in love with Anne. The story is simple, yet the acting is true and lacks any soppiness. It almost feels like everyone is holding back their feelings and that makes for good tension. There are many surprises for all before the end of the film and although it may not be an upbeat tale, it satisfies without leaving the viewer cheapened - only somewhat enlightened.

I saw this film at the film festival here and loved it. It is all about real life and you can feel what the character feels and what she is going through. A must have for any independent film lover as well as others.

I tried to watch this movie, unsuccessfully (due to interruptions), for five times. The sixth time, I watched it from start to finish....and I am ever so glad.

I truly think that Sarah Polley is a wonderful actor and in this, she plays a young woman who could have fallen into the same funk that her Mother (excellently played by Debbie Harry) fell into, but she didn't have time as she is informed she has, at most, a couple of months to live. I love the weight that Sarah's character, Anne, carries throughout this film....and didn't feel sorry for her as she, before being told, accepts her fate of being a young Mother and Wife, night custodian at a school, and just plain.

I loved her slow awakening to passion, to the realization that everything in this world is supposed to be a distraction to death, and her mission to fulfill her list before she dies. I liked that the film didn't feel like a North American one in that there wasn't too much narration to inform us of every thought or move and the ending wasn't a wrap-up.

This is a tragic story about a young woman's discovery that she only has a short time left to live. What makes it even sadder is that she has a husband and two young daughters, and is preoccupied with making the arrangements for their family situation without her. Although this is one of the most depressing premises for a movie, the director and the actors ensure that we do not dwell on the negative, but rather our attention is drawn to the optimism that pervades throughout the story. Excellent acting by Sarah Polley and Mark Ruffalo make this a must-see Canadian flick!

MLWM is a poignent movie and real people and a real life. It's beautiful and in the end it makes you think about how important life is.

I enjoyed this movie, simply because it made me think. The idea is fabulous and it could've bombed. You understand that Ann is - in her own, selfish way - trying to love her family the best way she can in spite of a crazy situation. However, this love is one-sided, and I hope that most people will choose to be honest and sincere with their loved ones if placed in the same position. The thing is: unless you're there (with the knowledge that you'll die in two or three months), it's hard to judge. The movie worked in that it was highly charged emotionally. The acting was top-notch; Mark Ruffalo is a great young actor. The movie is well worth watching. The "making of" featurette wasn't that great. I would rate it, at best, at 3 stars.

Right off the title tells you it's probably a tear-jerker but relax, you have nothing to fear because it isn't one of those smaltzy ones that torture the viewer with endless Kleenex moments. I was impressed with the writer and director (Isabel Coixet - although, I'm sure it didn't hurt to have Pedro Almodóvar producing) who gave us wonderful three dimensional characters instead of the usual stereotypes and while clearly using sentimentality when dealing with the subject of a very young woman facing death, never went overboard. Scenes involving the main characters down to minor ones, like the nurses, were both well acted and scripted - a rare and appreciated combo! Social commentary abounds but is subtle enough not to be preachy. I only had one problem - I thought one of the items on her "10 Things To Do Before I Die" list was just plain cruel (have someone fall in love with me) given her circumstances but as it's a personal view, no points were deducted from this beautiful piece of film making. There were so many thought provoking moments in this movie that when I finished watching it I immediately wanted to talk about it - after I ran and gave everyone I know, not to mention the ground, a big sloppy kiss - and films don't get much better than that in my book.

Just found it in the video shop; obviously didn⤙t hope for much, but it turned out to be the best movie I⤙ve seen for quite a while.
If you read the story, you⤙ll probably imagine ⤽Terms of Endearment⤠or something of that sort, but this movie manages to stay a small distance off the â¤~beaten track⤙, with some nice, original ideas. The casting is very good too (although most of the side-characters are Spanish, and I don⤙t know how realistic that is in Mid-West America). Another small problem is the monologues â¤" there are too many, and some are too long. Apart from those problems â¤" great movie. There is no exaggerated attempt to make the audience cry â¤" but you⤙ll cry anyway⤠Anyone knows how to obtain a copy of Ruffalo⤙s sister⤙s cassette?

...was this a good movie on multiple levels. I forget why I had it in my Netflix queue, one of those movies you hear about, or it comes up when you're searching through Amazon/Netflix by director/actor/producer/etc...and you just add it to the end of your list. A month later you've forgotten why you've ordered it, even what it's about, then you watch it without any expectations/preconceptions. A beautiful surprise.

D