My Sister's Keeper

We live, as someone once noted, in a cynical world. (It was either Socrates or Jerry Maguire; I'm always confusing the two.) And so, the idea of seeing My Sister's Keeper, a new medical melodrama from director Nick Cassavetes (who seems to have an affection for this kind of thing, from the muscular medical thriller John Q to the nostalgic neurological romance of The Notebook) adapting a book by best-selling author Jodi Picoult, didn't exactly thrill me, based solely on the poster and a vague notion of the plot. I always say that I don't mind having my heart warmed by a film; what I object to is having my heart microwaved -- brought up to a piping-hot temperature that doesn't last by the fastest, cheapest, most brutal means possible.

And My Sister's Keeper, where Abigial Breslin sues her family to be liberated from the medical procedures she undergoes that help keep her leukemia-stricken sister Sofia Vassilieva alive, is only as simple as that sounds when it's boiled down to that pitch. Watching it unfold, I was, in fact, moved -- not by mere pity, or by the simple device of pitting one young woman's life and happiness against another's -- but, rather by the portrait of a family that loves each other as best they can, of people trying to do small, good things in the face of big, bad things like death. My Sister's Keeper isn't shy about the medical reality of the situation -- Vassilieva doesn't have the movie-cancer like Ali McGraw got in Love Story, where you just look more and more beautifully lit as you edge closer to death; we see her wracked by pain, drooling blood, scared and shivering.

But we also see Vassilieva laugh, and love; we see her tack between Breslin's desire to be freed from painful, risky organ and marrow harvesting in the name of keeping Vassilieva well. Breslin fights a battle she knows she shouldn't but can't give up; Cameron Diaz shows us the fierce determination to keep Vassilieva alive. Simply put, My Sister's Keeper is not shy about how much pain there is in the world -- how much random agony, how much meaningless loss, how much wasteful death and needless pain. But it also isn't shy about how much love there is in the world, as well -- how much simple kindness, how much graciousness, how much sympathy and laughter and true simple love are all around us. Adapted for the screen by Jeremy Leven and director Cassavetes, My Sister's Keeper actually improves on Picoult's book in the final act -- which I won't' delve into too much, but trust me, it's the rare case where a screen adaptation is more faithful to the novel than, in many ways, the book itself. And while some of Picoult's written narration from the book feels a little too written in the movie, there are also great visual touches -- like Vassilieva's scrapbook, where we see her hopes and dreams and fears and wishes; there's a shot of Vassilieva's image of her mother that's breathtakingly audacious and yet amazingly simple.

The cast are all strong. Breslin is that rare child actor who doesn't seem plastic and precious when she plays wise beyond her years. Vassilieva tackles some tough stuff; Diaz is more engaging, and more engaged, than she's been on-screen in a long time. And the supporting cast is great; Jason Patric plays Diaz's husband and the girls' father with a flinty, quiet strength; Joan Cusack is a presiding judge who always seems human; Alec Baldwin is the TV-ad lawyer Breslin hires. (Baldwin's become a wicked scene-stealer; as he puts a few flourishes in his cross examination, Cusack warns him to tone it down -- there's no jury for him to play to. Baldwin snaps out of it with a self-mocking observation that tells you more about his character than a 20-minute monologue: "Sorry, you honor. Force of habit.")

Some will say that they can see My Sister's Keeper's big revelation coming a mile away, even through eyes misted with tears; that may be true, but I'd argue that the 'twist' is completely beside the point. I was watching for other things -- the look in a mother's eye as she holds her daughters, the trembling strength of a father reaching out to his son, a patch of sky on a windy, sunny day as it turns towards darkness with the passing of minutes we'll never have back. I wasn't thinking how those things were beautifully shot (which they are, by Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel) but, rather, about how they were simply beautiful. My Sister's Keeper doesn't pull any punches, and it doesn't tell any lies, and it earns every feeling and thought and memory it brings to the audience. In a cynical world, for a brief while in the dark of the theater, that's not such a bad thing to have.

Comments

[Jason]

"Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel"

A relative of Zooey Deschanel?

[Robin]

Nicely written; now I want to see the movie, which I didn't feel moved to do by seeing the trailer. Joan Cusack seems to be in every movie I've watched recently and I think she is a brilliant actress! Looking forward to seeing this-thanks.

[bob hatcher]

Patric is a genius. A nothing role into something that steals the screen

[Jason]

Per IMDB: Caleb Deschanel is the father of Emily and Zooey Deschanel.

[Susan]

If you are a Picoult fan OR you have simply read the book I feel that you will be sorely disappointed. I am a big fan and love the book, and I knew going into the film that they had changed the ending (which is a HUGE part of what makes the book so wonderful) and that they simply could not capture everything that the Picoult's writing can, the characters in my mind would not match those on the screen....so I had low expectations to begin with. However when I watched this yesterday I was beyond disappointed. They left SO much out, they simply did not develop the characters at all. They replaced Zanne with this bland "Aunt Kelly," Julia is completely absent and Jesse's real and complex issues are boiled down to dyslexia when he was younger. While the film will still make you cry and you will leave saying "Yeah that was ok" you are better off staying at home and reading the book one more time, believe me it is more enjoyable.

[Alex]

I agree with 'Jason'. This movie is not nearly as amazing as the book. Since Julia is gone there is not nearly as much emphasis on Judge (Campbell's service dog) who provides some humor for this. Judge De Salvo is supposed to be a man not woman. I feel having 'Zanne' would've been better than 'Aunt Kelly'. I mean c'mon. Well the movie was good at best, the book is MUCH better.

[Stephanie]

I agree with Jason and Susan. I have not seen the movie, and normally don't even like reading books that are guaranteed to bring a few tears (You are not likely to see me reading ANYTHING by Nicholas Sparks)and am not necessarily a big Jodi Picoult fan. However, I was persuaded by my sister to read this book and it was one of the best books I have ever read. I'm not sure why the screenplay was changed or what the rationale was, but from what I have heard, it simply makes the movie predictable. The original ending may not have been "likeable", but that's what makes a book great: the ending is something totally unexpected and causes the reader to evaluate the situation from a completely new angle. I didn't just tear up reading this book, but downright cried. If you haven't seen the movie, stop listening to all the talk and go read the book. Then see the movie and make your own decision about what is best. For a "sappy" novel, it was real, edgy, and not in the least predictable. I'll wait until it comes out on video if I choose to see it at all. I've still refused to watch the movie The Firm because I liked the book so well! lol

[Alexis]

I just finished reading the book today and immediatly went searching for reviews on the movie. The previews sucked me in a few months back, which was my whole reason for wanting to read the book first.
After reading review after review and a cast list on IMDB I am pissed and will NOT be seeing the movie at all now.
Changing characters names, completely excluding a plotline/character and then changing the outcome of the end. Alec Baldwin is NOT whom I picutred being Campbell Alexander. Overall I'm disappointed with the production of the movie and I have not yet even seen it. I'm very disappointed in Jodi Picoult for allowing this to happen. She keeps saying she had no say so...bullcrap! You're the writer, the creator and you have TONS of say-so in what is done with your movie when you sign on to do a movie. I guess the dollar amount was just high enough to ruin this for her fans.

[Locke Peterseim]

"You're the writer, the creator and you have TONS of say-so in what is done with your movie when you sign on to do a movie."

Not really, Alexis, unless by "TONS" you mean "ZERO."

When a writer signs over the film rights for his or her book, they almost ALWAYS sign away ANY official creative input on the film. They might sign a deal that gives them a shot at writing the screenplay, but that's no guarantee their script won't get tossed aside or completely rewritten.

That's the deal--Hollywood gives you, the writer, a large amount of cash, they get to do what they want with your baby. Sure, lots of productions will make a point to "include" the author's input or put on a PR show of having the author on set to visit and make approving cooing in the media--and if the book or author has a huge fanbase, the studio wants to assure those potential ticket buyers that they'll be happy with the adaptation. But when push comes to shove, the studio has THE final word on what goes up on screen.

And let's be honest: even the LARGEST fanbase for a book is going to be minuscule compared to the number of theater-goers and DVD-renters a studio is hoping to attract. The studio's attitude is if making a change means losing a few hundred thousand reader-fans, so be it--there are tens of millions of theater-goers to be won over. Of course, no studio wants bad PR or buzz, so it's in their interest to keep the fans happy or at least quiet.

You're right, though: If an author wants to completely protect their work and guarantee the screen adaptation is exactly as they imagine, then they can either NEVER sign over the film rights, or they can sign a deal that gives them creative control--usually with a much smaller production company, for a much smaller, cheaper film that may never see the light of day in regular theaters.

[Livia]

I just started reading the book My Sister's Keeper, it seems really good. I am reading the book and then I will see the film version of it, hope it is good. I head it is sad but great, so we will see on this one.

[Livia]

I abandon the book, already-too much melancholy in the book and it wasn't my type of book, I'm fan of Audrey Niffenegger-not so much on Jodi Picoult but I would see the movie first and then read the book. I will now be reading reviews on the book\movie. I will rent it at Redbox if Redbox gets it.