My Life in Ruins

Nia Vardalos of My Big Fat Greek Wedding fame, stars next to a really hunky and at first really hairy,bus driver as she leads a tour in her native home of Greece to see all the most important parts of the country.  You know it's the whole deal with the bus and the crazy tourists, the most obnoxious being, the Americans.  I love that the title is very bad pun.  Not only does Nia's character Georgia live her life in the ruins of ancient Greece and her "life", both social and emotional, is in ruins as well.  It takes a bus load of crazies and a hot bus driver to help her realize that she needs to loosen up.  This of course was produced by the dynamic duo of Greek centered films, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, who has a very small cameo.  Richard Dreyfuss plays and old washed up corny joke telling old man.  He definitely makes you love him.  The only thing I have to say is the bus must have pulled up to the old folks home because I was literally the youngest person in the theatre. It seems this movie appeals to the dwindling baby boomer generation, in other words, the old people.  All the little old ladies think it was the funniest and cutest movie they have seen in a long time. They actually said that word for word after it was over.  I, of course, went with my mother, who may fit the demographic but not the mind-set. We wanted to see the proposal and she isn't much for the Hangover type humor and we didn't think we could stomach The Taking of Pelham 123, so wee picked this.  It served the purpose, wasted our time. This movie was very fun, I will say that, but it was too long in getting around to the point and there were moments of intense cheesiness.  Also, as someone who is going to travel to a foreign country would like to say that Americans are not as obnoxious as they make us out to be in the movie.  It's a happy movie, with a happy ending. Duh!

*1/2 stars One and a half stars because there are some laughs to be had while watching this movie but everything is ultimately stereotypical and jaded ideas of what tourists are or at least how they are seen.  I think this is the first movie I have like Richard Dreyfuss in since Mr. Holland's Opus.  Don't waste your money, wait for the DVD, this movie fits well into the ruins of Greece.  It's the ruins of a movie. If you are eighty you might enjoy it otherwise wait for Blockbuster.  This is my opinion, oughta be yours.