MY LIFE SO FAR

MY LIFE SO FAR (1999) ***

Reviewed 8/30/99

My Life So Far presents a rare opportunity to compare a very early cut of the film I saw a year ago to its just released final version. I have nothing against test screenings by filmmakers, though I dislike attending them myself. Half of almost any film is created in the editing process, and rough edits are usually agonizing to sit through for pleasure’s sake. I offer this caveat because sitting through rough edits to help out a friend as part of the creative process can be highly stimulating. I don’t get this in test screenings because my advice filled out on multiple choice forms feels incredibly sterile. However, I found my attendance of a test screening for My Life So Far, then titled The Roaring Game, to be a marvelous experience. I would have given that version of the film ****, and I looked forward to seeing the final version. Now with over a half-hour lopped off, the final version, running 93 minutes, feels choppy and too light.

The final version does fix one problem of the earlier cut, which was that Irene Jacob got too little screen time as the catalyst for one of the major conflicts in the film. Her screen time in absolute terms has not expanded, but because everything else has been cut down, she stands out more. Everything else, however, is worse. The greatest disservice is done to the film’s pace. Now, the film, which is essentially an idyll, is too hurried. Also, in the rough version, the soundtrack was still unfinished and had been substituted by Beethoven. I infinitely preferred the Beethoven to the insufferably generic soundtrack in the final version.

All this said, My Life So Far is still well worth seeing. The story, set in 1920s Argyll, Scotland, is seen through the eyes of 10-year old Fraser Pettigrew (Robert Norman). He lives on a lush manor with his inventor father, Edward (Colin Firth), restrained mother, Moira (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio), and a host of siblings and servants. Also present is his grandmother and the manor’s owner and matriarch, Gamma (Rosemary Harris). Fraser’s life is a series of discoveries and small adventures, and My Life So Far captures the wonderments and misunderstandings of childhood. Conflict emerges with the arrival of Fraser’s Uncle Morris (Malcolm McDowell) and his young fiance, Heloise, (Irene Jacob). Both Fraser and his father Edward fall for Heloise with both amusing and unfortunate results.

My Life So Far sports several superb performances, particularly Robert Norman and Colin Firth. Norman brings charm, energy, and especially believability to Fraser, which most American child actors could not even hope to match (e.g., Jake Lloyd). Firth makes the flawed Edward bumbling and stubborn, yet loving and sincere. McDowell, while the supposed villain, brings enough humanity to his stern Uncle Morris, that we care for him as well. Mastrantonio struggles with the Scottish accent but comports herself nicely. Only Harris, who plays her role a little too stodgy, and Jacob, who is also a bit stilted, are on the lackluster side. Kelly MacDonald, in a small role as Fraser’s oldest sister, Elspeth, shines.