My Life So Far (1999)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Hugh Hudson

Writers:

Denis Forman (book)
Simon Donald (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 August 1999 (Singapore)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Imagine a summer in paradise with nothing to do except everything your heart desires.

Plot:

Memoir of the lives of a family growing up on a post World War I British estate headed up by a strong disciplinarian...

Plot Keywords:

Boy | French | Inventor | Servant | Skinny Dipping

Cast

Colin Firth	...	Edward Pettigrew
Rosemary Harris	...	Gamma MacIntosh
Irène Jacob	...	Aunt Heloise (as Irene Jacob)
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio	...	Moira 'Mumsie' Pettigrew
Malcolm McDowell	...	Uncle Morris MacIntosh
Robert Norman	...	Fraser Pettigrew
Tchéky Karyo	...	Gabriel Chenoux (as Tcheky Karyo)
Kelly Macdonald	...	Elspeth Pettigrew
Roddy McDonald	...	Rollo
Daniel Baird	...	Finlay
Jennifer Fergie	...	Brenda Pettigrew
Kirstin Smith	...	Meg
Sean Scanlan	...	Andrew Burns
John Bett	...	Uncle Crawford
Anne Lacey	...	Aunt Eunice

Also Known As:

World of Moss (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, including some nude pictures.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Australia:PG | Hong Kong:IIA | Spain:T | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Ardkinglas House, Cairndow, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK

Company:

Enigma Productions

Quotes:

Fraser Pettigrew: [reading from his father's old book] "Dearest Samuel, Forbidden fruit is always the sweetest. I have many things I would like to teach you, if only we can find the opportunity. The very thought arouses me to lubricious ecstasies"
[beat]
Fraser Pettigrew: Probably a golfing friend.

Soundtrack:

String Quartet No.16 in F Major, Op.135

Enchantment in the Scottish Highlands

My Life So Far is a charming film, sweet without being syrupy, endearing but not bland, pointed yet not preachy. It is a gently meandering memoir of an idyllic age and place which probably never really was, but which we wish to believe existed once upon a time, populated by people we would be happy to know. Mostly, it is the joyous celebration of a devoted, loving, though imperfect, family, which not only survives its crises, but is, one feels, strengthened by them.

The cinematography is breathtaking, making the most of the lush landscape, the opulent sets and the expressive actors. The screenplay is filled with poignant moments, both humorous and dramatic, while the acting is quietly beautiful and detailed, from Rosemary Harris' superb Gamma to Robert Norman's refreshing 10-year old Fraser. Colin Firth's stunningly rich, yet understated, performance as Edward, the complex father, by turns madcap inventor, loving husband, hypocrite, fool and life-embracing dreamer is a wonder.

My Life So Far provides a delightfully rewarding escape from our rude, crude world to a paradise which, if not perfect, is perfectly enchanting.