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

In the scene where Bob is videotaping the hotel room, he zooms in on Gail's stomach, which is very large and round, expecting a child. In the next scene at the wedding reception, it shows them dancing around, and her standing there clapping, and there is no pregnancy belly.

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Quotes

Bob Jones: Dying's a really hard way to learn about life.

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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 Jersey Girl (2004)

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Soundtracks

Over the Rainbow
Written by Harold Arlen & E.Y. Harburg

User Reviews

Worth watching

I generally don't enjoy films that deliberately pull on your heart strings, I usually really resent that, in fact. Generally my main criteria in watching a movie is that I must be entertained. However, this powerful, affecting movie really pulled me in. I don't know why I started watching it, the subject matter would normally repel me, but I simply couldn't stop watching because most things in the film were just so believable. Michael Keaton gives an absolutely killer performance as a businessman dying of untreatable cancer. The story is pretty simple-- he basically is on a quest for inner peace, after a holistic healer convinces him he can die happier if he can let go of his anger. The fact is, part of what makes this movie so good is that the baggage Keaton carries around from childhood is nothing earth shattering; in fact it's fairly mundane and similar to what most of us feel. I found myself sobbing, even weeping, for the last half hour of the film-- watch this one alone if you don't want anyone else to see you doing this! Not a fun movie you can watch over and over, but very thought provoking and worth while. I have no idea how Keaton was overlooked for an Oscar nomination in this fine film.

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