Based on the book by Meg Wolitzer, This Is My Life is the directorial debut for
Nora Ephron, who adapted the script with sister, Delia Ephron. Dottie Engels (
Julie Kavner) is a single mother with aspirations of becoming a standup comedian. When her Aunt Harriet dies, Dottie gets an apartment in Manhattan with her daughters, teenaged Erica (
Samantha Mathis) and ten-year-old Opal (
Gaby Hoffmann). Soon, Dottie's career is taking off and her agent, Claudia Curtis (
Carrie Fisher), gets her on a comedy tour. Everything seems to work out well for Dottie, except that her daughters are left without a mother. Erica, who has just started dating Jordan (Danny Zorn) gets especially mad when she hears Dottie talking about her personal information on a talk show. The two girls are further upset with their mother's choice for a boyfriend, Arnold Moss (
Dan Aykroyd). Eventually, Erica and Opal try to track down their real father, Norm (Louis di Banco), in upstate New York. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide