DVD Review: My Sister's Keeper

This isn't a movie I would normally watch. In fact, I ignored it quite well in theaters. I just happened upon this at midnight on HBO last night and decided to give it a shot.

This film isn't meant to be enlightening, it's not meant for you to feel hopeful. It's here to tell you that sometimes life just really, really sucks. The premise of the movie is Anna (Abigal Breslin) was born to basically be a doner to her older sister who has leukemia. All her life she's been giving bone marrow, stem cells, she's been hospitalized 6 times in her 11 years. Now her parents (Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric) want her to donate her kidney. Anna has had enough, she seeks a popular lawyer (Alec Baldwin) and sues her parents for Medical Emancipation.

In all this weepy, cliched nonsense there really is some credit due. Sofia Vassileva who plays sick daugheter Kate is wonderful. She really is. This movie doesn't dumb down cancer, it shows you how sick and painful it really is. Kate isn't just some bald child like we see in other cancer films. We see her lose her hair, throw up during chemo, have random nose bleeds, kidneys fail, etc. We really see his kid go through hell, the movie doesn't shy away. I appreciated that, cancer affects nearly everyone in some way, shape, or form. It's a horrible thing. That's the only good thing I can say about the film. The script (like the book) is mediocre at best. The film isn't told in order, it jumps to different time periods and instead of being effective it becomes confusing. It's full of crying folks, doomed romances and the typically smiley, laughing families that are hiding their grief. Cameron Diaz is extremely over-dramatic. She doesn't make the mother likable at all.

Perhaps the film's worst moment is the ending. Without spoiling, it ends in the exact opposite way the book ends. As stupid as I thought the ending in the book was, changing it is even worse. It's almost insulting to the author and to the people that actually enjoyed the book. The new ending surely didn't make the movie better. It just made it more generic.

I remember when this film was still in pre-production Dakota and Elle Fanning were set to star. Then they pulled out, news reports said it's because Dakota refused to shave her head. I don't believe this. A) She could've worn a cap and B) She probably just read the script and realized it was horrible. Good move, Dakota. Hopefully Sofia Vassileva gets something out of this.

Recommended: No

Grade: D

Memorable Quote: "I made this for you." "What is it?" "It's everything." - Kate and Sara Fitzgerald (Sofia Vassileva and Cameron Diaz)