ScoobyWell Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

runamokprods A very sweet, well intended, good-natured film about a 7 year old boy who is convinced he's supposed to be a girl, and wants to dress and act accordingly. His parents' confusion, and inability to deal with the situation are shown without making them monsters, even as it all starts to tear at the fabric of the family, costing the father his job, etc. What didn't work as well for me was the weaving in of the Tim Burton-esque magical realism/fantasy element of the young boy's dream world. Somehow, in the end, the film felt too light and sunny to really rip at your guts, and yet too dark to just enjoy as a wish fulfillment fantasy of the way the world should be. So while well worth seeing, it ends up as a little less than it has signs of becoming.

Brian W. Fairbanks "Ma Vie En Rose," winner of the 1997 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film (its English title is "My Life in Pink"), concerns Ludo, a 7-year-old boy who likes to dress up as a girl and dreams of marrying a boy, even staging a mock wedding with himself decked out in a pink satin dress and pearls. His parents are appalled. When Ludo makes an appearance at a family gathering dressed as a girl, the father covers his embarrassment with nervous laughter and insists his son is just joking. The mother drags him to the sink to wash off his lipstick. When Ludo continues to cross-dress, they take him to a therapist "to set him straight." Ludo's attempts to be a typical boy prove disastrous, however. When he tries to kiss a girl, she knocks him to the ground. "I don't kiss girls," she sneers. He proves too gentle for football, and when another boy sees him through the opening of a toilet stall, sitting down to pee, he explains that he's a "girl-boy." Of course, Ludo is almost certain to grow up to be homosexual or transgender, perhaps opting to change his gender through surgery. The film doesn't take us that far into the future, but does conclude on a note of acceptance. "Whatever happens, you'll always be my child," the father tells Ludo, shortly before the credits roll.The boy in "Ma Vie En Rose" is adorable, and is very convincing when dolled up as a female. The film itself is quite lovely. Undoubtedly, there are those who would assail it as propaganda meant to promote tolerance toward homosexuals and gender-bending boys. Maybe it is, but the fact remains that there are boys who want to be girls, and such boys would exist even if a film like Ma Vie En Rose did not. If it succeeds in making the life of a "girl boy" easier, what's wrong with that?Brian W. Fairbanks

atheisticghost You do owe it to yourself to see this film. It shows the bias of the MPAA that this film is rated R, don't listen to them, if you have children, show it to them, if you don't, you owe them an explanation as to why not. This is an outstanding movie. They rated it R for using the F bomb once (it is written but you probably won't notice it). It is a well made movie and gives an accurate portrayal of a transsexual. It doesn't go too far over the top, just a little bit but still, it is the most accurate to date. The movie is touching in a "it's a wonderful life" type way. At least rent the movie if you are curious about it. I bought it and don't regret it. Don't let it deter you that it is french, after a while, you won't even realize that you are reading subtitles.

jotix100 Most comments submitted to this forum seem to give credit to the French cinema for bringing "Ma vie en rose" to the screen. While this is a co-production, the film is a Belgian movie, as well as its talented director, Alain Berliner, who co-wrote the screen treatment with Chris Vander Stappen.We first saw this excellent film in a film festival before its commercial release. Thanks to IFCTV, which is airing it lately, we revisited it, and again, we were charmed by this unpretentious movie that has its heart in the right places. The idea of Ludovic, the young boy, who thinks of himself as a girl, has been discussed in some of the wonderful comments submitted to IMDb."Ma vie en rose" is a film that has the courage to tackle a subject that is different from all what one sees in mainstream movies. It also has a lot of messages for the viewer, but those issues are lightly handled by the writers, who had the common sense of treating the film in such manner, instead of throwing it one's face. In fact, it shows how resilient little Ludovis is in spite of all the rejection he suffers at the hands of his peers, as well as the adults, who should have a better understanding of the situation.Little Georges de Fresne does excellent work under Mr. Berliner's direction. He is never bratty and one's heart goes to him because no child should suffer for something they didn't create and have no control about who they really are.The R rating ought to be examined more closely. For a film that doesn't have any nudity, violence or sex, that classification seems too extreme by a film that should be watched by a wider cross section.Thanks to Mr. Berliner for dealing with a taboo with a lot of class.