My Life

In My Life, Bruce Joel Rubin tackles a subject as serious as cancer. The protagonist, Bob Jones, has been diagnosed with cancer and been told that he does not have long left. How does one react in such a situation? On top of that, Bob and his wife Gail are expecting their first baby, so Bob sets out to make a video about himself for his child. At the same time it becomes vitally important to the couple that Bob comes to terms with his family, with whom he has a strained relationship. Bob is a real career boy who has never really wanted to acknowledge his Eastern European roots and his working-class family.

Bob also seeks alternative treatment, but here the film falters somewhat, because it suggests that Bob can actually be cured by thinking positive thoughts, but in the end it does a complete U-turn. It is also as if Rubin did not have the nerve to steer clear of the sentimental clichés and the little humorous moments that help the film go down with American audiences. For my part, the result is a bit too bland.