In My Life

6.5
2009 2 hr 0 min Drama , Comedy

Shirley is a woman who wants to be in control of everything. Working as a librarian in a public school, a firm "Sshhh!" from her makes the students tremble in fear. But in her family, her unwarranted intervention in the lives of her children and their families keeps her emotionally detached from them. Realizing that she has lost the command she once had, she goes to New York to reunite with Mark , her estranged gay son who is now suffering from colon cancer. But Shirley doesn't know this and living with Mark in New York comes with a cost. She has to live with her son's lover Noel who is an illegal immigrant. Everything is going right until circumstances forces Shirley to go back to the Philippines. Now that she's back with her family, she realizes that something is wrong she is not happy.

  • Cast:
    Vilma Santos , Luis Manzano , John Lloyd Cruz , Dimples Romana , Tirso Cruz III , Nikki Valdez , Rafael Rosell

Similar titles

Strange Days
Strange Days
Former policeman Lenny Nero has moved into a more lucrative trade: the illegal sale of virtual reality-like recordings that allow users to experience the emotions and past experiences of others. While they typically contain tawdry incidents, Nero is shocked when he receives one showing a murder.
Strange Days 1995
Desert Hearts
Desert Hearts
While waiting for her divorce papers, a repressed literature professor finds herself unexpectedly attracted by a carefree, spirited young woman named Cay.
Desert Hearts 1985
Bollywood/Hollywood
Bollywood/Hollywood
Rahul Seth is a dashing young millionaire who believes he is "western" enough to rebel against his mother and grandmother. They are not too keen about his Caucasian girlfriend Kimberly who, to make matters worse, is a pop star. Before you can say "karmic intervention," Kimberly dies in a freak accident and Rahul is devastated. Instead of allowing him to mourn in peace, Rahul's mother sees the opportunity she's been waiting for. She threatens to call off his sister's wedding unless he finds himself a "nice Indian girl." Rahul enlists the services of Sue, a fiercely independent escort whom he believes to be Hispanic, and therefore not "married" to the conventions taught to young Indian women. With a wink in her eye, Sue accepts the deal to pose as his Indian bride-to-be. She needs the money and having never been a fan of the typical Indian male, she feels her heart is safe. The charade begins....
Bollywood/Hollywood 2002
Hannah Has a Ho-Phase
Hannah Has a Ho-Phase
When Leslie gets fed up with her prudish roommate, Hannah, she challenges her to the bet of a lifetime: Hannah must sleep with ten guys while Leslie does the unthinkable and "re-virginizes".
Hannah Has a Ho-Phase 2013
The Piano
The Piano
A mute Scottish woman arrives in colonial New Zealand for an arranged marriage. Her husband refuses to move her beloved piano, giving it to neighbor George Baines, who agrees to return the piano in exchange for lessons. As desire swirls around the duo, the wilderness consumes the European enclave.
The Piano 1993
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine
A family loaded with quirky, colorful characters piles into an old van and road trips to California for little Olive to compete in a beauty pageant.
Little Miss Sunshine 2006
Naked Under the Moon
Naked Under the Moon
A young woman recalls how her father (a fallen priest), her mother (a woman with a secret past) and her teenage sister returned with her to live in their ancestral home after the family business failed. She was plagued with mysterious problems of sleepwalking and began a romance with a young man who tried to cure her.
Naked Under the Moon 1999

Reviews

KnotMissPriceless
2009/09/16

Why so much hype?

... more
Nonureva
2009/09/17

Really Surprised!

... more
Marketic
2009/09/18

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

... more
Glimmerubro
2009/09/19

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

... more
myc4971
2009/09/20

During the 1st few years of Star Cinema, I was impressed and I religiously watch every movie they make. Why? Because they try to make every movie different even if the main point is to still make it commercial. But lately, I've noticed a trend in their movies and it's becoming more formulaic and usually the resolution is in the last 3 minutes of the movie which I couldn't help but feel the story's manipulated.However, with this movie, it's like Star Cinema went back to its roots. What I like best about this movie is it is very personal and it branches out from the usual plot lines that we're used to. Kudos to the promotions and marketing guys for the effort to make the movie look very commercial.The movie revolves around Shirly's rediscovery in the most unexpected point in her life. In one of the scenes where she tries to give a reason why she became the person that she is, she said that it was from the years of trying to be tough for her kids. And I felt it captured the angst of most single moms who are in their 50s. I grew up with a single mom and being tough is sometimes being synonymous to being hard. And I could only imagine from the years of trying to be tough, you become someone you never really intended to. You focus so much on protecting someone that you hardly notice that the person you're protecting has evolved into someone else.I generally liked how the story progressed, however, there are some scenes that I presume were added to make it more commercial.In terms of acting, Vilma as the lead gave her usual tour-de-force performance although there were some scenes that I felt that she was out of character. And while Luis Manzano delivered one great scene to a perfection, there were some slip ups during light moments that he seem to forget that he's playing a character. Although, hats off to him because he's much more convincing playing a gay character than John Lloyd who's a much accomplished actor. John Lloyd, as usual is great although the only flaw in his performance was that he lacked that gay demeanor that Luis had. But the sincerity and the intelligence of the portrayal was there. My suspicion is that in preparation for the role, he just tried to play it as it is and deliver the character as if the lover was female.All in all, this movie is certainly a welcome break from the heavy melodramas, slapstick comedies and light romance movies Star Cinema has been producing lately.

... more