My Sister’s Keeper
Not manipulative, but honest
– Three stars (out of four)
– Rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, some disturbing images, sensuality, language, and brief teen drinking.
– Who’s going to like it: those who have souls, aren’t afraid to feel deep emotions, and don’t mind a solid heavy film every once in a while.
For a while, it seemed like every press screening I went to showed the trailer for My Sister’s Keeper. It drove me crazy. Every time I saw it, I would moan, dreading the time I would actually be sitting in a darkened theater watching that movie. Not only did it look like it was going to use every manipulative cheap-shot that you learn in Film Studies 101, but it showed Cameron Diaz shaving her head. No offense to Ms. Diaz, but she’s frightened me since her performance in 2001’s Vanilla Sky. I can’t watch her in any role without wondering if she’s going to kill me in my sleep tonight. I openly expressed my disinterest in My Sister’s Keeper months before I saw it. And now, after having seen it, I have to eat my words – it’s an brutally honest and beautiful little film.
My Sister’s Keeper shows the effects of cancer on the family of a teenage girl who has it. Through the course of film, you walked through each family member’s shoes, learning exactly what it would feel like to be in that position. There’s the teen leukemia patient, Kate (Sofia Vassilieva, Medium); the strong-willed mom, Sara (Cameron Diaz), who refuses to accept defeat and pushes her daughter to continue fighting it; the dad, Brian, (Jason Patric, Speed 2: Cruise Control) who eats up and cherishes every moment he gets to spend with her, knowing that she wont be around forever; the younger brother, Evan, who was always put on the back burner for his “lesser” sickness – dyslexia; and the youngest sister, Anna (Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine), who was genetically altered to be a perfect donor match for Kate once her organs started to fail.
Many critics make the complaint that My Sister’s Keeper is emotionally manipulative to audience members because there are many scenes that show the side effects of cancer that most people don’t talk about (that need not be mentioned here). Instead of seeing those scenes as manipulative, I felt them to be brutally honest, truly making me comprehend what it’s like to go through this experience. Had it been a movie unbelievably combining worst-case-scenarios one after another, that would be manipulative. But My Sister’s Keeper simply shows it how it is, not sparing any of the disturbing and hard-to-watch realities of cancer. Be sure to have easily-accessible hankies ready.
Even though the story of My Sister’s Keeper is touching and beautiful, it wouldn’t be worth watching without great actors giving noteworthy performances. Every single actor cast in this film is perfectly for the role. That’s right – I’m eating my words. Cameron Diaz is included in that compliment. She was fantastic. And with supporting cast including Alec Baldwin and Joan Cusack, I feel the movie turned out the way it was intended to be.
Cancer isn’t a sweet or charming thing, and My Sister’s Keeper doesn’t church it up for audiences. And while it’s one of the hardest things to go though and the last thing I’d wish on anyone, it’s nice to have a film not only show it like it is, but also show you the love and tenderness that comes out of it.
Photo credit: New Line Cinema
