This Is My Life

This Is My Life

Year: 1992

Runtime: 95 mins

Language: English

Director: Nora Ephron

DramaComedy

At 10 p.m., Dottie Ingels, a single mother who sells cosmetics in a department store, still dreams of becoming a comedian. After inheriting money, she relocates with her children, Erica and Opel, to New York and begins performing in small clubs. Her agent, Arnold Moss, quickly makes her a national sensation, but as Dottie tours across the United States, her children stay home, feeling increasingly lonely.

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Timeline & Setting – This Is My Life (1992)

Explore the full timeline and setting of This Is My Life (1992). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Early 1990s

Set in the early 1990s, the movie shows a working-class mother chasing stand-up stardom while navigating family life. The era's entertainment world is defined by club gigs, national talk shows, and the power of agents, which propels Dottie's career forward. The period also frames the girls' experiences of adolescence and the evolving roles of mothers in a TV-driven culture.

Location

Queens, New York, Manhattan, New York, Los Angeles, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Albany, New York

Set primarily in Queens, New York, the film follows Dottie at a Macy's cosmetics counter while raising two daughters in a modest apartment. The story also moves through Manhattan, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Albany, highlighting the pull between home life and the lure of fame. The urban landscape emphasizes financial strain, ambition, and the social world of stand-up and television that shapes the characters. These places ground the drama in a recognizably late-20th-century setting.

🏙️ Urban 🎭 Show business 👨‍👩‍👧 Family life

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:19

Main Characters – This Is My Life (1992)

Meet the key characters of This Is My Life (1992), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Dottie Ingels (Julie Kavner)

A bold, resourceful single mother who works at a Macy's cosmetics counter while nurturing a dream of stand-up stardom. She is driven and witty, but her ambition often pulls her away from her daughters. Her flaw is a tendency to prioritize career milestones over immediate family needs, yet she remains deeply loyal and protective of Erica and Opal. Over the course of the story, she learns to balance showbiz with being present for her kids.

🎤 Ambition 💪 Resilience 🧭 Self-doubt

Erica Ingels (Samantha Mathis)

A intelligent, bookish teenager who is navigating adolescence while watching her mother chase fame. She resents the constant upheaval and feels its impact on her own sense of stability. She tests boundaries and seeks independence, often reacting with honesty and sharp wit. Her perspective provides a counterweight to her mother's rapid ascent in the entertainment world.

📚 Intellect 🧭 Independence 💔 Family conflict

Opal Ingels (Gaby Hoffmann)

A perceptive pre-teen who processes her family's chaos with humor and resilience. She desires closeness with her mother but also questions the price of Dottie's dreams. Opal acts as the film's emotional barometer, balancing loyalty with a longing for a simpler life.

🧒 Youth 🗣️ Perspective 🧭 Loyalty

Arnold Moss (Dan Aykroyd)

An eccentric mega-agent who spots Dottie's talent and pushes her into the spotlight. He exudes charm and confidence, yet his influence often edges toward manipulation to secure bigger gigs. Moss represents the powerful machine of show business that can elevate or complicate a personal life.

🎭 Agent 💼 Power broker

Norman Ingels (Louis Di Bianco)

Dottie's ex-husband, largely emotionally distant and uninterested in the children, whose absence haunts the family. His cool reception when the girls visit underscores the fragility of their paternal bond. He embodies the complexities of parenthood and the lasting impact of a strained marriage.

👨‍👧 Absent Father 🧭 Reconciliation

Martha Ingels (Marita Geraghty)

Norm's wife and a steady, practical presence who anchors the household. She provides a counterbalance to Dottie's pursuit of stardom, emphasizing stability and care for the kids. Martha embodies reliability and a quiet strength within a disrupted family.

👩 Stabilizing force 🏠 Family

Jordan Strang (Danny Zorn)

Erica's schoolmate and boyfriend, whose teenage romance adds a layer of vulnerability and questions about boundaries. His relationship with Erica brings awkward honesty and a window into adolescent life. He represents the normalcy that contrasts with the chaos of Dottie's career.

💑 Teenage romance 🧭 Boundaries

Aunt Harriet (Estelle Harris)

Dottie’s late aunt whose death and the inheritance she leaves become the catalyst for Dottie's decision to move to Manhattan and pursue bigger opportunities. Harriet's presence lingers as a reminder of family roots and support. Her absence reinforces the film's themes of home and belonging.

💫 Family legacy 🕊️ Loss

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:19

Major Themes – This Is My Life (1992)

Explore the central themes of This Is My Life (1992), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🎤 Ambition

Dottie's drive to become a comedian propels the plot, pushing her to take risks and travel for gigs. The pursuit of fame comes with hard decisions, including leaving her daughters with friends and risking financial strain. The film examines whether soaring ambition can justify personal costs, or if family should take precedence. Ultimately, Dottie senses that real success requires balancing applause with presence at home.

👨‍👩‍👧 Family vs Fame

Erica and Opal watch their mother's career with a mix of pride and hurt, feeling sidelined by the glamorous world of stand-up and television. Their reactions range from witty resilience to raw frustration as they confront the consequences of Dottie's choices. The girls challenge their mother's priorities, forcing honesty about love, trust, and the meaning of home. In the end, they seek a path that honors both ambition and family.

💸 Financial Realities

Money never feels secure, even with high-profile gigs, revealing the fragile economics of a stand-up career. Paychecks from club gigs and a TV appearance bring momentary relief, but bills and instability linger. The film uses money to highlight the emotional costs of chasing fortune while keeping the family afloat.

🏠 Home and Belonging

Home anchors the family amid the glamour of show business, grounding the characters in something tangible beyond bright lights. The Queens apartment and the family couch symbolize stability, memory, and identity for Dottie and her daughters. The ending implies that true belonging comes from balancing career with the people who matter most, rather than chasing fame at their expense.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:19

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