Now I’m going to go on ahead and get this out of the way. My Sister’s Keeper is a sad movie. But when a story is about a 16 year-old girl having leukemia and the director is the same guy who did The Notebook, then you may start to tear up before you even see the movie. Though there’s no mistaking its heart and passion for the material and its characters. The story is about a 16 year-old girl who has leukemia, but it’s also about her sister. Her sister is 11 years old and was genetically designed to save her older sister. She was created for a specific purpose.
Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) was supposed to die by the age of five. So she is doing better than anyone had expected. And her younger sister, Anna (Abigail Breslin), is being used for spare parts. Anna has donated stem cells, blood, and bone marrow. Now it’s time for her to donate her kidney, which changes everything. Anna decides she is tired of being operated on and spending a good portion of her life in the hospital. She wants a chance at a normal childhood, which her and Kate have never had.
So she decides to sue her parents for the rights to her own body. And the father (Jason Patric) is able to understand her side. And maybe him and their mother have gone too far. However, that is not the case for their mother (Cameron Diaz). She is pissed and believes it will be because of Anna that Kate will die. A sister letting another sister die. So I guess their mom has a point.
That’s the beauty of this movie. No – not sisters trying to kill one another, but how every member of the family has their own opinions and voice about things, but are mostly never heard. Diaz’s character will keep her daughter alive by any means necessary. So everyone else has been ignored. But the movie lets us see and hear from Anna, Kate, their brother, mother, and father. You see how one person can be sick, but how the rest of the family suffers as well.
The actors are great in this. Vassilieva is great playing the sick 16 year-old. She really gets to the root of what it’s like to be so sick, but so thankful as well. Patric plays a good father. He understands what everyone is going through. He can see the pain of his wife and the sickness of his older daughter. But he can also see the freedom that the younger daughter wants.
And then there is Breslin who plays the younger daughter. She is always good. Her character may seem heartless, but she’s not. The love these two sisters have is undeniable. Both of these girls have had it rough, and the toughest part is the fact they are both so young. One sister has been on her death bed almost all of her life, while the other has been through several operations that can hurt and be painful. Like I said before, these girls have never had an enjoyable childhood.
This is the first time Diaz has played the role of a mother. Her character has morals and values, but may get blurred sometimes. She loves her kids. There is no denying that, but she can’t recognize what she is doing to them. She thinks it may be in their best interest, but she could be wrong. Diaz really shows she can act and why she is one of the best. Sometimes we forget what all she is capable of, but she quickly reminds us.
I must finish by talking about the director. His name is Nick Cassevetes and he did direct The Notebook. So I think it is safe to say he enjoys movies that tug on your heart. And he knows how to do it. But he also knows how to get the emotion out on screen and get his characters to show their feelings. These characters have illness, issues, and choices. He captures them all as they unfold.
My Sister’s Keeper is a good movie with a great message. It makes you think about how lucky you are to be alive and healthy. And how some things in life are worth fighting for, but we must choose carefully. We must know what is important in life and what is not. We can find a lot of stuff to complain about, and most of the time it’s stupid stuff. Instead, like Kate, we should find stuff to be thankful for.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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