'My Life in Ruins' review

Nia Vardalos' latest Greek venture isn't so big

By Geoff Berkshire

Posted June 4, 2009

Metromix

Frustrated American Georgia (Nia Vardalos) works as a tour guide in Greece while trying to regain her kefi (which the movie tells us is the Greek version of "mojo"). Fed up with obnoxious tourists who care more about ice cream than history, her latest tour might be her last. That is unless the motley crew of sight-seers (including Richard Dreyfuss and Rachel Dratch) and secretly dashing bus driver "Poupi" Kakas (Alexis Georgoulis) turn out to be her not-so-surprising salvation.

The buzz: Vardalos hasn't been visible much since her "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" follow-up "Connie and Carla" tanked at the box office, but she seems to be attempting a comeback with two movies due this summer. Will a return to Greek-themed comedy revive her career? Guiding Vardalos and company through the "Ruins" is director Donald Petrie ("Grumpy Old Men," "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days") and writer Mike Reiss ("The Simpsons" TV show and movie).

The verdict: "Ruins" practically writes its own review—within the first five minutes a co-worker tells Georgia, "You're not funny, stop trying" and later Vardalos says "I'm looking for something...my dignity." It's not that the leading lady is the problem (she's offbeat and pleasant enough to root for). She's just trapped in a film where humor pretty much begins and ends with the bus driver's name sounding like "poopy cacas," and a romance-by-numbers takes forever to develop. Dreyfuss appears to have signed up for the paycheck, while the rest of the cast can't do much to elevate thin stereotypes that alternate between annoying and encouraging at the whim of the script. "Greek Wedding" wasn't high art, or even high comedy, but it had a semblance of charm and a sweetly simple romance that's the stuff of endless cable TV reruns. "Ruins" is just a wreck.

Did you know? The production claims to be the first movie allowed to film at Greece's famed Acropolis, the center of ancient Athens. Apparently that has more to do with Vardalos' skills as a negotiator than the quality of the project.