My Life Without Me

R

2003

1h 46m

Drama

List

65%

Tomatometer

100 Reviews

87%

Audience Score

10,000+ Ratings

When hard-working mother of two Ann (Sarah Polley) discovers she has terminal ovarian cancer and the doctors give her two months to live, she decides to keep the news from her family. Passing off her increasing weakness as a mild case of anemia, Ann begins to put her priorities in order in preparation for the last few months of her life. She records birthday messages for her daughters, visits her estranged father in prison and even seeks a replacement wife for her husband, Lee (Mark Ruffalo).

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Critics Consensus

Sarah Polley keeps this production afloat with her moving performance.

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Neil Norman

London Evening Standard

Through a series of quietly expressed and telling scenes, director Isabel Coixet steers a sure path between sentimentality and mawkishness: imminent death in the movies has rarely generated such humanity, such humour or such strength.

Jan 11, 2018

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 3/5

Dec 30, 2006

Full Review

Sarah Kaufman

Washington Post

My Life Without Me is not a gentle film. Insistent and unforgettable, it wounds on the inside, and the scars feel fresh for some time.

Sep 26, 2005

Full Review

Anton Bitel

Projected Figures

a complicated snapshot of a young woman in crisis who refuses to become an object of pity, and who is driven by a single-minded desire to keep her family as happy as possible both during the brief time left to her and after.

Jun 21, 2020

Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

Polley gives an outstanding performance...

Apr 29, 2009

Full Review

Boyd van Hoeij

european-films.net

A gigantically amoral cliche of a film.

Apr 1, 2007

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T E

Great movie definately that is not, thank god, directed by Sarah Polley as Rottentomatoes has mis-credited. Isabel Croixet wrote and directed this (with the assistance of the great art critic and historian John Berger). Polley is a crap, self involved, director without the chops to write, much less direct a movie of such subtlety. The soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission and is really well deployed. Ruffalo is at his early career best. This movie is about falling in love and the slow death of a mother from cancer without the standard cliches of shaved heads, crying children, severe weight loss... We don't even get to see her die! Not a movie for people who need those Hollywood tropes.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/18/22

Full Review

Audience Member

I can't understand her behavior.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

steve d

Considering it's premise I thought it was surprisingly entertaining.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A poor flat movie. Mediocre at best

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

probably my favorite movie so far. brilliantly filmed, absolutely moving and sweet. A great life lesson.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I hate it when movie writers/directors don't do the simplest homework on a topic they choose to include in a movie. Siamese twins are never boy/girl. So distracting to an otherwise very touching scene. I liked this movie. Both men in her life were very likable characters.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

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Sarah Polley

Director

Sarah Polley

Ann

Scott Speedman

Don

Deborah Harry

Ann's Mother

Mark Ruffalo

Lee

Leonor Watling

Ann

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Synopsis

When hard-working mother of two Ann (Sarah Polley) discovers she has terminal ovarian cancer and the doctors give her two months to live, she decides to keep the news from her family. Passing off her increasing weakness as a mild case of anemia, Ann begins to put her priorities in order in preparation for the last few months of her life. She records birthday messages for her daughters, visits her estranged father in prison and even seeks a replacement wife for her husband, Lee (Mark Ruffalo).

Director: Sarah Polley
Producer: Esther García
Production Co: SLU, El Deseo S.A.
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 9, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $395.6K
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Surround