Nia Vardalos, who wrote and starred in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, headlines another Greek-themed romantic comedy. In My Life in Ruins, Georgia goes to Greece to teach at a university, but her life plans fall through and she’s hit rock bottom. Now she’s a tour guide, and not a very good one. She hates her job, she finds living in modern Greece frustrating, and everyone knows she’s lost her kefi, which means “passion, joy, spirit.” Or what I would call her mojo.
Georgia’s not even thinking about regaining her kefi. Right now she’s trying to get through the day. She’s stuck on a tour bus with no air-conditioning, stays in the worst hotels, with a bus driver who doesn’t talk, and with a group who finds her boring. Worse, her nemesis tour guide gets the best buses, hotels, and it seems, even the better tourists. Little by little, with the mentoring of the older funny guy that every tour seems to have, and with the help of the bus driver who gets cuter each day, Georgia learns to stop looking for obstacles and start looking for the magic.
My Life in Ruins is not just about Georgia finding her kefi, but you also see the pain and the joy of the tourists as they travel through Greece. They started out as a bunch of misfits and become a group who looks after each other. I would almost say that this story is more of a chick lit than romance, but it does have a satisfying romantic ending.
My Life in Ruins is a charming movie, but it’s not as strong of a story as My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I’d recommend renting this DVD and watching it while doing chores around the house or when you’re in need to watch something lighthearted and romantic.
Has anyone else seen this? What did you think of it?
