About Jane Boursaw

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Jane Boursaw

Thanks for stopping by Reel Life With Jane! I love family movies and TV shows, and love sharing my thoughts and reviews with all of you.

You may think an entertainment writer needs to be in New York or Los Angeles, but I’m here to tell you that’s just not true. I live in a log home on the Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City, Michigan. Out my window, I see deer, eagles, all four lovely seasons, and the sparkling waters of East Grand Traverse Bay, an offshoot of Lake Michigan.

I’m married to Tim, a car guy who loves to tinker with vintage Jaguars, Austin Healys, and the occasional motorcycle, and we have two teenagers, Will and Marissa. They’re my sounding board when it comes to all things kid-related in the entertainment industry.

I had a wonderful childhood growing up on a cherry farm with my parents, two brothers (still farming) and one sister (a writer/editor). Tim and I are happy to be raising our kids here, and we love spending time with our extended family – about 30 people in a 10-mile radius.

Movies and TV: The Early Years

I’ve been a professional writer since 1980, and I can’t imagine doing anything else. My love of movies and TV goes back to the 1960s, watching “Charlie, the Lonesome Cougar” on “The Wonderful World of Disney” with my family every Sunday night .

After school, I would race home, grab some Pop Tarts, and watch “That Girl,” “The Monkees,” and “Gomer Pyle” on my brother’s little TV in his room. “The Galloping Gourmet” and “The Mike Douglas Show” were on the opposite channel (yes, we only had two channels at the time, which means I didn’t get to see “Dark Shadows” until much later in life).

As I got older, we went to movies like “The Love Bug” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” at the Michigan and State Theatres in downtown Traverse City. The State Theatre was recently restored by the Traverse City Film Festival and is now being used year-round for movies. By the way, I’m the Tweet Wrangler for both of those Twitter accounts, so follow me at @StateTC and @TCFF, as well as my own @reellifejane.

Syndicated Columns and Feature Stories

I’ve written for hundreds of print and online publications over the years, including Moviefone, Woman’s Day, the New York Times, USA Weekend, Parade, AOL, PopEater, iVillage, Family Circle, Ladies’ Home Journal and more, but my current work consists mainly of my syndicated family movie and TV columns, this site, and the occasional story for publications like Variety or People Magazine.

For more info, please visit my Press Room or contact me any time.

Jane’s Faves: 

  • Favorite Food: Movie popcorn!
  • Favorite Soundtrack: “Avatar,” “Flipped,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou”
  • Top Three TV Shows: ”Breaking Bad,” “Mad Men,” “Parenthood”
  • Favorite Classic TV Shows: ”The Andy Griffith Show,” “M*A*S*H,” “My Three Sons,” “The Doris Day Show”
  • Favorite Classic Movie Stars: Doris Day, Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart
  • Top Three Classic Movies: “Pillow Talk,” “Bringing Up Baby,” “Singin’ in the Rain”
  • Top Three Quirky Movies: “Bagdad Café,” “Office Space,” “Napoleon Dynamite”
  • Top Four Kid Movies: “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “Toy Story,” “Brave”
  • Best Movie I Wish I’d Never Watched: ”Million Dollar Baby”