My Life (1993)

A terminally ill man prepares for his death.

Director:

Bruce Joel Rubin

Writer:

Bruce Joel Rubin

Stars:

Michael Keaton, Nicole Kidman, Bradley Whitford

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Keaton	...	Bob Jones
Nicole Kidman	...	Gail Jones
Bradley Whitford	...	Paul Ivanovich
Queen Latifah	...	Theresa
Michael Constantine	...	Bill Ivanovich
Rebecca Schull	...	Rose Ivanovich
Mark Lowenthal	...	Dr. Mills
Lee Garlington	...	Carol Sandman
Toni Sawyer	...	Doris
Haing S. Ngor	...	Mr. Ho
Romy Rosemont	...	Anya Stasiuk
Danny Rimmer	...	Young Bobbie
Ruth de Sosa	...	Young Rose Ivanovich
Richard Schiff	...	Young Bill Ivanovich
Stephen Taylor Knott	...	Young Paul Ivanovich

Storyline

Life is going well for Bob Jones: great job, beautiful loving wife and a baby on the way. Then he finds out that he has kidney cancer that will leave him dead within months. He sets out to videotape his life's acquired wisdom for his child, and ends up on a voyage of self-discovery and reconciliation.

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Plot Keywords:

video diary | cancer | reconciliation | baby | death | 

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Taglines:

every moment counts

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature subject matter

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bob changes his last name from Ivanovich to Jones, much to his family's dismay. In fact, the two names are not that different. Slavic names often translate to "son of," and Ivanovich means son of Ivan, which is a variation on the name John, making it "John's son." Jones is the Welsh form of Johnson.

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Goofs

During the dance scene at the wedding reception in the very beginning, one of the extras (who dances with a girl in a green dress) looks directly at the camera. At first you think he's looking at Bob but Bob is on the other side of the dancing and not focused on the extra.

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Quotes

Mr. Ho: Mr. Jones?
Bob Jones: Look, just so you know, I'm looking for a miracle here, so...
Mr. Ho: You believe in miracles?
Bob Jones: I will if this works.

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Crazy Credits

Movie dedication by Bruce Joel Rubin - In memory of my mother Sondra Rubin

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Connections

Referenced in Fresh Off the Boat: Gotta Be Me (2016)

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Soundtracks

William Tell-Overture
Written by Gioachino Rossini
Performed by the New York Philharmonic
Conducted by Leonard Bernstein
Courtesy of Sony Classical

User Reviews

A film close to my heart.

I lost my father as a very small boy.So small,in fact,that I have no recollection of him whatsoever.This fact is what drew me to view this movie,otherwise it would have been overlooked.My father's death was sudden,so he really had no time to prepare in the way that Michael Keaton's character did here.Bob Jones did what he had to do to make sure his newborn son would not grow up without him,and this is what touched my heart about this movie.Also,the scene where a near death Jones limps to his son's room,up to his crib,touching him gently, and explaining to him that "this whole dying thing wasn't my idea". This one,short moment,was enough to console me through my lifelong sadness of having to grow up without my own dad.His dying wasn't his idea.From a reviewer's standpoint,this perhaps is not a great film, (the ending was unbelievably sappy),but it will always have a special place in my heart for personal reasons.Those of you with fathers, those of you who have lost fathers,and those of you who are fathers should see this movie.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 November 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

My Life

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,536,098, 14 November 1993

Gross USA:

$27,804,899

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$27,804,899

Company Credits

Production Co:

Capella Films, Columbia Pictures, Zucker Brothers Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1