Movie Review: My Sister’s Keeper

June 26, 2009 by Rayna
Filed under: Movie News, Movie Reviews

Movie Review: My Sister's Keeper Sara (Cameron Diaz) and Brian Fitzgerald (Jason Patric) have just been informed that their young daughter Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) has leukemia with only a few years to live. The doctor suggests the parents should consider an unorthodox medical procedure of producing another child in a test-tube that would be a perfect match as a donor for Kate. Sara will attempt anything to save Kate, and the couple has a new baby Anna (Abigail Breslin) to be used as a donor for Kate. The first surgery blood from the umbilical cord is used for Kate and subsequent hospital admissions leading to the extraction of bone marrow from Anna to give to Kate. By age 11, Anna is requested by her parents to give her sister a kidney. Anna has experienced several medical procedures, and she decides to sue her parents for medical emancipation and the right to decide how her body will be used. The family is enters into crisis while Anna proceeds with her decision given the family is aware of the outcome for Kate if she does not receive a new kidney.

Oddly enough, “My Sister’s Keeper” overall has brilliant performances. Sofia Vassilieva does an excellent job portraying the dying Kate and Abigail Breslin who demonstrated courage, strength and struggles that a significant amount of 11 year old children would never have to experience, presents her best acting since “Little Miss Sunshine”. As for Cameron Diaz, slightly too hysterical as their mother and I would recommend she stick with the comedy. The serious role was not her best and in fact she appeared out of her element. However, sharp supporting work from Alec Baldwin and Joan Cusak make the movie tolerable.

The movie does not directly address the issue but, in a roundabout manner, it practically discusses the debate between pro-choice and pro-life. If you’re pro-life you would side with a young child donating her kidney to her sibling despite the poor prognosis and if you’re pro-choice you would support the child’s lawsuit.

My criticism about this film would be the predictability and every clip I viewed prior to watching the movie was portrayed in the previews. I ended up watching one trailer prior to the movie and I was surprised to see how much of the movie was shown.

Nonetheless, it was an average movie but definitely one for a girls night out, not surprising as I would suspect a film about a child with leukemia would have a small audience. The movie also has a slow pace filled with sadness. Overall I would comment that the performances are well done. However, the director’s heavy heart tugging approach changes a worthy subject into an emotional melodramatic tearjerker. This story get under your skin and makes you care regardless of your convictions. It is manipulative in that respect. (7 out of 10)

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