My Life Without Me

Writer-director Isabel Coixet's film replays one of the oldest weepy plots in the book--the one about a young woman who learns that she's terminally ill and opts to live her last days to the hilt. In this case the heroine keeps her condition secret while trying to connect emotionally with her troubled mother, identify a new mate for her loving husband (and mother for her two darling daughters), and have a fling with another man--just to see what it's like. What saves My Life Without Me from degenerating into Fannie Hurst-style mawkishness are several elements: Coixet's austere, almost ascetic approach; the generally excellent acting, especially by Sarah Polley as Ann, the doomed protagonist; and the naturalness in the dynamic between her and Scott Speedman (as her husband Don), and little Jessica Amlee and Kenya Jo Kennedy (as their children). Other aspects of the film, however, are less successful, particularly Ann's relationship with her mother (Deborah Harry) and her halting affair with a rumpled but handsome engineer (Mark Ruffalo). Although the picture doesn't completely transcend the banality of its premise, it comes closer than one might expect. An optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include a 28-minute “making of” featurette and trailers. Bottom line: a skimpy extras package for a solid film.] (F. Swietek)