My life for you

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Movie
German title My life for you
Original title My life
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1993
length 112 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Bruce Joel Rubin
script Bruce Joel Rubin
production Hunt Lowry ,
Bruce Joel Rubin,
Jerry Zucker
music John Barry
camera Peter James
cut Richard Chew
occupation

Mein Leben für dich (Original title: My Life ) is an American drama from 1993 . It was directed by Bruce Joel Rubin , who also wrote the script. The main roles were played by Michael Keaton and Nicole Kidman .

action

The film begins with a brief look back at Bob Jones's childhood. He was about 8 years old when he asked God to make his dream come true. He wants a circus to perform in his garden. He believes so strongly that the next day he invites all of his classmates to his home for an afternoon performance. However, in the garden there are only a few towels hanging on the clothesline to dry. After his childlike belief has so disappointed him, he crawls into his secret hiding place.

Bob Jones was in his mid-30s and running a successful advertising company in Los Angeles when he learned that he had lung cancer and would only be alive a few months. The attempt to cure with chemotherapy has side effects, so that Bob's life is in acute danger for a few hours. The doctor therefore advises against further attempts, instead he should use the remaining time as well as possible. Jones accuses the medic of wanting to rob him of hope.

Bob's wife, Gail, finds out she is pregnant. Bob seeks help from the Chinese natural healer Mr. Ho, but there is nothing he can do either because the cancer is too far advanced. He advises Bob to fight his anger and learn to forgive in order to prepare for the afterlife. Bob says later that he's not angry, but Gail sees it differently.

Bob now has to fear that he will never be able to see his unborn child. He therefore begins to record video tapes on which he tells about himself and his life. He also tries to pass on good advice and his own knowledge to his son.

Years ago, Bob fell out with his father because he did not want to take over his father's scrap business and despised his father and his way of living and working. As a result, Bob has not seen his parents or brother in years. Gail thinks it's a good idea to visit them so that Bob can make up with them. Once there, they first celebrate at his brother's wedding, who continues his father's scrap trade. In a family conversation, however, the old wounds break open again and father and son reproach each other and start a fight. Bob's father accuses him of being ashamed of his family and even changing his last name. (Bob's family has the Polish surname Ivanovich.) Bob, on the other hand, criticizes his family because they have never visited him in Los Angeles and do not appreciate the company he has built. His parents object that his mother is terrified of flying and that it will take too long to drive. Embittered, Bob and his wife leave for the return trip.

Then Bob's only dream and his first request to God since childhood come true - he sees the birth of his son Brian. But shortly afterwards Gail realizes that Bob is weak and is nearing his end. Still, Bob continues to work on the video for his son. His doctor gives him about a month to live and so he spends the last few weeks with his small family. But before that, Bob reconciles with his parents and brother over the phone. When they learn of his fatal illness, they immediately travel by plane to spend the last few days with Bob.

One day Bob is woken up in the morning and his family surprises him with a small circus performance in the garden. He sits in a wheelchair with his son in his arms and tells him that he must never forget that. His parents thus fulfill his childhood dream that he had forgotten in the meantime.

In the following days, Bob gets worse and worse, becomes bedridden and dies. A short epilogue shows an excerpt from Bob's video recordings on a television, in front of which his little son Brian is sitting. Bob reads him a story from the children's book Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss before.

Reviews

James Berardinelli praised the performance of Michael Keaton on ReelViews , he only liked the play by Nicole Kidman "sporadically".

Roger Ebert described Michael Keaton's portrayal as "intelligent" in the Chicago Sun-Times of November 12, 1993. He said the film, which deals with a very serious subject, could do without some jokes.

swell

  1. ^ Review by James Berardinelli
  2. ^ Review by Roger Ebert

literature

  • Michael Kohler, Nicole Kidman , Bertz + Fischer Verlag, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-929470-42-X , pp. 56–59, 145

Web links