Product Details

• Actors: Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, Alexis Georgoulis, Alistair McGowan, Harland Williams
• Directors: Donald Petrie
• Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: October 6, 2009
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0021L8UO4
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #712 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "My Life in Ruins" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The combination of the appealing Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and the breathtaking location shooting in Greece make My Life in Ruins the perfect film escape. The film works as a feather-light romantic comedy, with Vardalos's character, Georgia, facing burnout in her job with a cut-rate tour company in Greece. Georgia knows there's magic in the Greek countryside and history, yet the grind of her job has drained her. Happily for Georgia, her latest group of semi-challenging tourists will help her shed some of her hard-built personal armor, guiding her to cut loose as the tour progresses (a journey mirrored in Vardalos's hairstyle, which starts out prim, and ends up attractively tousled). The strong supporting cast includes Richard Dreyfus--seeming very comfortable playing an old coot--Rachel Dratch, Rita Wilson, and the dreamy Greek actor Alexis Georgoulis, a bus driver with the soul of a poet. And possibly a secret crush on the oblivious Georgia. But the true star of the film is Greece itself, from the coastline to the mountains, from the Acropolis to the Parthenon. That so few American films are shot on location makes this summer treat even more appealing--as sweet as fresh baklava. --A.T. Hurley

Stills from My Life in Ruins (Click for larger image)

Product Description

Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 10/06/2009 Run time: 95 minutes Rating: Pg13

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars See for yourself, July 26, 2009

By	L. Teach (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Why are there so many critics in this world? This is a sweet, fun movie that opened up a chance for many to see places in Greece that can not be filmed for commercial reasons. Kudos to Nia for gaining approval to film in such fantastic places as Delphi, Olympia and at the Acropolis. This is the perfect movie for a light, summer night or for when you just need a "pick me up." See for yourself. Greece is a magical place and it was a delight to see it on the big screen. Nia is charming on and off screen and I think she is terrific. You go girl!

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh out loud often!, August 2, 2009

By	H. Halverson (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I saw this movie a few weeks ago at the theater. I found it very entertaining and informative. It took me to places in Greece that I would love to visit. Nia is funny, sexy and believable. In the year 2000 I went on a tourist bus tour of Europe and this movie surely brought back many fond memories. Every bus tour includes many diverse characters, with a believable love story, this makes it very entertaining. I have recommended this movie to all my friends.They should own it.The filming is exquisite showing the sites of Greece like a travelogue.I left the theater feeling as I had been thoroughly entertained.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sadly disappointing..., October 10, 2009

By	Valerie Rezin - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Most truthfully this is a solid two and a half star movie that was filled with potential. I love Nia Vardalos and felt this could've been her best picture--and a beautiful one--if only she had stuck to the realism and honesty of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." The film has a wonderful title, storyline premise, along with the warm and intelligent character of Vardalos herself, but manages to flop nonetheless. To be sure, it starts out funny and true, but not wanting to be that, it quickly 'morphed' into just another Hollywood sex-comedy with over-the-top characters. A real disappointment for Ms. Vardalos's talent. Unfortunately, nowadays people seem to equate sex with romance, plain and simple, not understanding that romance has more to do with the heart. And if this is the case, then the spectacular backdrop of ancient Greece was wasted in this movie. (Yes, a few jokes on the sexual side would've been amusing, but to craft an entire film of them?--along with Richard Dreyfuss?) If only the screen writer and director had spent more time on developing a thoughtful and understated script--and given Dreyfuss less of a speaking role--this movie could've been a real gem.

[Just as a side note, I felt the storyline was rather cheated by not beginning with Georgia (Vardalos)as the college professor she once was, in a university classroom, and then depicting her layoff before she ends up as a Greek tour guide, thereby showing the contrast between these two lives.]