A middle-aged mother grabs a tissue out of her purse and dabs her eyes, making a snorting noise from the back of her throat while trying to stifle her anguish. A pair of teenage girls heave with grief while looking over at each other to make sure they are equally devastated. A man in his mid-twenties simply storms away from the crowd of bawling softies, most likely with a tear or two running down his cheek.
This is the crowd watching “My Sister’s Keeper “on a rainy Saturday night. Looking around the movie theater, there haven’t been this many weeping and sniveling suckers dripping all over their popcorn since “The Notebook” — however, this makes complete sense as this year’s tear-jerker is also brought to you by the one and only Nick Cassavetes (the director of “The Notebook”).
“My Sister’s Keeper,” based on the novel by Jodi Picoult, delves into serious medical and ethical issues as protagonist Anna Fitzgerald (Abigail Breslin, “Definitely Maybe”) looks to earn medical emancipation from her parents. For her entire life, Anna has been subjected to countless surgeries for the sake of her cancer-stricken sister, Kate (Sofia Vassilieva, “Medium”), who needs Anna’s genetically conceived body parts to survive. For Anna, this means that her body has been at the mercy of everyone around her, and for once she is ready to stand up and separate herself from the sister she both loves and is constrained by.
Cameron Diaz (“What Happens In Vegas”) takes a more somber path in her acting career as the ball-busting mother of Anna and Kate, showing a seriously earnest and fearless portrayal of a mother who refuses to give up on her daughter’s life. As the quirky California blonde with the 1,000 watt smile and bubbling laugh, Diaz truly finds a role that suits her age. It was refreshing to witness this transformation, and with a new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Diaz should seriously consider taking on these rolls and challenging her inner funny girl to take a walk on the more serious side of the street.
However, while Diaz does show a darker set of colors to movie-goers, it is relative newcomer Sofia Vassilieva who absolutely shines throughout the film and keeps the tears coming as her illness progresses. Intermixed with flash-backs and voice overs, it is Vassilieva who leads audiences through the journey of cancer and emotionally connects to each character of the film, to the audience, and to the camera as she remains breathtakingly beautiful inside and out until the film finally ends. With lips like a young Scarlett Johanson (“Vicky Christina Barcelona”), and the acting talents of a young Kate Winslet (“Revolutionary Road”), the 17-year-old Vassilieva has just begun what can only be anticipated as an astounding journey.
As a novel, “My Sister’s Keeper” takes the individual perspectives of each character through their own points of view, creating a deeply sincere account of every person’s unique struggles. However, like so many book-to-film adaptations, “My Sister’s Keeper” simply doesn’t have the time to take on so many perspectives and different emotions to make the film a complete replica of the much-loved book. This is something fans of the highly acclaimed novel must look past, because it is easy to get too wrapped in disappointment (especially after the hype from the naysayers who find this change a travesty) and miss the beauty that the film uniquely brings.
Despite the differences, “My Sister’s Keeper” is a beautiful story of family, hope and the courage the find the good in life, and one that shouldn’t be missed.
4 out of 5 stars.
