ME MYSELF I A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2000 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ***
What if you had married your Mr. (or Ms.) Right? What would your life be like now? Would it be a dream or a nightmare?
In writer/director Pip Karmel's ME MYSELF I, Pamela Drury gets to find out. The searching and uncertain Pam is played in a sympathetic performance by Academy Award nominee Rachel Griffiths (Hilary from HILARY AND JACKIE).
When we meet Pam, she's an award-winning investigative reporter for Focus Point magazine. An unhappy workaholic, she writes article on topics like suicide, something she'd like to do given her inability to establish any successful relationships.
She wished that she had married Robert Dickson (David Roberts), but she didn't. She wants to be dating a student crisis counselor named Ben (Sandy Winton), until she sees him at home with his wife and kids.
One day, a fatal accident changes her life for the better. Or does it?
After being hit by a car, she wakes up in a parallel universe in which she meets herself -- the self that did marry Robert. Her other self happily chucks married life for the freedom of Pam's single one. This leaves Pam with a new husband and three kids, all of whom prove to be real challenges.
Griffiths does a masterful job of portraying Pam's fear and jubilation. After all, she has the man of her dreams in bed with her every night. Needless to say, he isn't exactly what she had imagined.
Her kids provide perhaps her biggest shock. Rupert (Trent Sullivan) is a little kid old enough to be toilet trained but not able to wipe himself. 9-year-old Douglas (Shaun Loseby) is a smart-mouthed brat, who calls his mom "dummy" and "dumb head."
And then there is Stacey (Yael Stone), a ticking time bomb of a girl on the verge of adolescence. "Mom, if you don't get your period, do you have to use a condom if you're having sex," Stacey asks in a casual hall conversation. Another day, she tries to tell Pam not to worry about her. "I don't smoke, I don't drink and I can't afford drugs" she reassures her mother, which, of course, is more frightening than reassuring. Here is a girl who does not need to earn extra money.
The biggest surprise with the script is the way it subtly transforms the movie from a breezy little comedy into something more substantial. By the end we find ourselves, along with Pam, pondering significant issues ranging from self-actualization to the importance of love and family. ME MYSELF I is a gentle movie that works its magic more by the small turns in the plot than the large ones. By the end, you'll be rooting for Pam, while still not sure what is best for her. Both of her lives have their blessings and their hardships. The story's resolution is handled nicely and with just the right amount of ambiguity.
ME MYSELF I runs 1:44. It is rated R for sexuality and some language and would be acceptable for teenagers.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
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