Based on the large population of women and the various sobbing sounds heard throughout the theatre, My Sister's Keeper proves once again that Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook) is an expert at manipulating the emotions of his audiences.
My Sister's Keeper, based on the novel by Jodi Picoult, shares the story of Andromeda Anna Fitzgerald (Breslin) and her sister Kate (Sofia Vassilieva). After Kate is diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia as a small child and none of her family matched to be donors, her parents make the decision to conceive a donor child.
Anna, knowing that she was born with a purpose, had always gone along with the plan - until Kate's kidneys begin to fail. At age 11, Anna decides that she has had enough and is tired of being a human pincushion. Anna hires a big shot, television lawyer (Alec Baldwin) to sue her parents for medical emancipation. However, her mother is opposing council, though she previously gave up her law practice to care for Kate.
Although this movie seems like it is about the court battle, it really relies on reflections of the past to show the real story of the family, the decisions that were made and how Kate's illness affects each family member.
The movie falters in terms of its relationship to the book; I might even venture to say that they are almost separate stories. The movie does keep the basic plot line about the relationship between Kate and Anna, but many things were changed or missing.
The movie has a completely different ending than the book and dragged on excessively, which is where Cassavetes shows off his manipulation powers. There were entire plot lines missing from the movie that made the book so dynamic - in particular the plot lines of Jesse (Evan Ellingson) and Brian (Jason Patric). Not to mention that the book illustrates a plot line of Campbell Alexander (Baldwin) and a court-appointed guardian named Julia that the movie fails to even mention.
This movie oozes love, compassion and pain but it may be disappointing to Picoult fans. On the other hand, for people who haven't read the book, this is a perfect summer tearjerker.
3 Culture
Anna Hartenbach
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