Genres

Visitors Review

2013-05-19 22:18:22

What's With the Ending?

I read the book which was riveting - the issues of medical emancipation, ethics, each character's history was explored. In the movie, each character was represented by 'talk-over', which ruined it. No connection was possible. The ending in the book. which just knocked my socks off . . . was left OUT! That made the entire read and rendered the movie one star. Played frizbee with the CD when it was over. Huge disappointment.

gts-14 2013-05-19 03:42:45

the conception of death

Average acting but a very powerful story on multiple levels. Physicallythis one was quite relevant: even if you've never lost someone todisease it's sobering to imagine it. But much deeper were some of theanswers Anna was reaching for, and some of the questions that werereaching back symbolically. Is it possible that we were created for apurpose: to serve others and not ourselves? Does it happen in ways thatwe might not intend or understand? Can we emancipate ourselves fromphysical dependence? From fear? As beautiful as life is, are we atpeace about leaving it? Any progress with this type of evolutionrequires interaction, and equal portions of beauty and pain. She helpedus to stand at the edge of that shore and wade in a little bit. Eachrelationship in the film was as unique, beautiful and brief as a bubbleof soap, or a bubble in the top of a beer bottle. The characters helpedeach other to discover places of healing that were still underconstruction, and in those places love and self-sacrifice bridged thegap between life and death. Careers were put on hold, the aunt andbrother stayed single, and the mother was finally able to let go ofwhat she wanted for herself. It's not entirely accurate to say that thesick girl gave birth to her mom in the last scene, but their posturewas unmistakable. And she definitely gave life to her.

2013-05-17 02:56:51

Awful!

They ruined a fantastic book with this movie by completely changing the ending. The ending of the book was so interesting that I was very angry after watching how they changed it in the movie. I would not recommend this movie to anyone and would instead encourage them to read the book. This is one of the worst movie adaptations of a book that I have seen.

2013-05-16 12:11:41

Will read the book but will rate the movie stand alone

This review is from: My Sister's Keeper (Amazon Instant Video) I will not rehash the story line as the summary, sums it up and if you need further info, google it.I watched this movie for the first time two years ago, three days after my preteen cousin died of cancer. Five days after my grandmother died of complications of a fall and was dieing of cancer. Both of them died within two months of being told they had at least six months. I find it ironic my sisters and I chose to watch this movie at the time. But then again in hind sight, watching a movie about a young girl dying of cancer was like talking to someone who knew what it was like without saying anything.Watching it again two years latter only reaffirms my love and belief of the film. I read a number of negative and positive reviews. The honest truth is until you have lived that experience can you understand how complicated the situation is. And my opinion is that the script and actors handled the complex emotions extremely well. For all the negative reviewers who said Sara Fitzgerald played by Cameron Diaz, came off as a "heartless bitch" dose not understand that she was playing a desperate mother trying to save her child and was unwilling to stop fighting to save her life. I rate her performance as excellent. Having all the nuances of being partially neurotic, desperate and in denial. The film showed many truths, and showed perfectly how people hold strong and fall apart all at the same time.Again, I have not yet read the book. But I feel that all of the characters and the script were handled incredibly well. The movie gives you a complete and complex picture of how a family falls apart and comes together again. How younger siblings can bind together stronger that what is expected. How parents can accept the death of a child who accepts death first. Even how accepting that it's time to go... while not exactly a beautiful concept, somehow those who loved them and are left behind understand and open their hearts enough to let them go.Honestly this movie touches on all the things I have personally experienced and still touches me. It brings tears but at the same time it reminds me of the strength my young cousin had and what she faced, all while remembering it's okay to mourn the loss. Just as it's okay to remember the good and the bad.As a final note to lovers of the book... you will never have the same feeling for a movie adaptation as you did the novel. Remember it is an adaptation. It will never have the detail of the novel due to time and genre. But in this particular case I must say that if you can not see the value of the movie and all it represents, I doubt you can understand how those who have experienced similar situations, in real life, can connect to the film. And you should respect that. The author believed in the film adaptation as should you.

Sam B 2013-05-12 04:59:07

A unthinkable nd sensitive story

The name itself justifies the main theme of the movie. Though it is asensitive topic but holds a lot of ground. Whole movie basicallyrotates around three people anna(younger sister), kate(elder one withcancer) and sara(mom- Cameroon diaz)The movie shows a cold war betweena daughter and her parents( basically mom) that how they disregard herrights and life for the keeping her elder sister alive and fine whosefacing cancer. Seems that sara (Cameroon diaz )cares only about herelder daughter(kate), wants her to get out of the disease no matterwhat…even at the cost of her younger daughter(anna)life.The movie runs through flash backs in between which are placed quietwell. Cameroon is a lot better in the movie has justified the characterpretty well. At a certain point I thought the movies turning a tragicway.No matter what but the movie has a brilliant script and a perfectending. Worth once watching for a rainy evening.

Joanna 2013-05-11 13:56:57

I thought I'd like it more

I cannot say that I didn't appreciate the movie but it'd be a lie toclaim that it influenced me deeply.I believe that you cannot enjoy a movie unless you can identifyyourself, at least to some extent, with the characters. This poses aproblem because I'm not a mother yet, I have no siblings and nobody inmy family have been that sick. So, it wasn't a surprise to me that Isimply couldn't identify with any of the characters. I certainlysympathise with the whole family but the story is told from so manypoints of view that I couldn't possibly have developed any warmfeelings toward any of the characters.I don't want to create an impression that the movie was lame because itis not true. For me, a movie which conveys enough emotions to make meshed some tears is undoubtedly worth my while. But I expected it to begreat and now I feel slightly disappointed.Since this movie is based on the book, which I had on my to-be-readlist for some time, I figured that it'd be better to read the bookfirst. Now, after reading the book and watching the movie, I can tellthat it doesn't really make a difference because the movie's ending istotally different than that of the book. I felt very surprised but Imust say that I preferred the movie's finale because at least it is atcoherent with the rest of the story.

2013-05-05 01:02:33

AMAZING.

This review is from: My Sister's Keeper (2009) (Amazon Instant Video) This movie is absolutely fantastic. A must see! Movies can never make me cry, but this one definitely did. It's something I would strongly recommend to anyone.

thuynguyen92 2013-05-04 16:03:29

This movie's touch !!

The movie was made from a book with the same name. It talks about thegirl; name Kate, who has to suffer cancer in her early childhood. Katehas an older sister, Anna. Since the age of 5, Anna has had blood takenand put through medical procedures to help keep Kate alive. Her parentshave been spending too much time and money on Kate's disease, and theyhave not put enough caring for Anna. Anna loves Kate. She understandsthe pain of her sister. Until one day, her parents want her to giveKate one of her kidneys. She feels so unfair, and she hires a lawyer.She finally sues her parents for the right of her own body. Her motheris upset, but her father understands. Meanwhile, Kate feels that hercancer is tearing the family apart. There are some light-heart scenesduring the movie. The most impression in this movie is the time whenthe little girl, Kate, is losing her hair because of the chemotherapy.Her mother doesn't want her to be ashamed to everyone else, so shetries to encourage her by buying fake hair and getting her some typesof hat to wear. Finally, she does shave her hair in order to look likeher daughter. She is a strong and wonderful mother. She spends all hertime to take care of her daughter, Kate. Kate is a great character whohas been in painful all her life, but in her, there is some strengththat always keeps her not to give up. She is little but her heart isstrong. The movie touches viewer's heart scene by scene. After watchingthis movie, I decide to read its book. This is an amazing movie youshould watch at least once in your life.

2013-04-27 13:12:51

completely ruined the book

I thought this movie was gonna be one of the best i'd ever see......boy was I WRONG!!!! I CAN NOT believe that Jodi Picoult allowed these people to ruin a good novel like this. 1) They left out one of the best characters in the book; Campbell Alexander's ex-girlfriend/girlfriend, Julia Romano and most disapointing 2) They completely reversed the ending...it was Anna that was supposed to die...NOT Kate!!! Anna dying was one of the unexpected scenes in the book that made the novel's originality!!! I thought it was SO "gag-me" and "sappy" when Kate died after she talked to her mom about "letter her go." I thought that was a joke!!! And they left out some of Campbell's best excuses for his dog, Judge. I HIGHLY, STRONGLY recommend reading the book if you haven't already...and just forget the movie!!! My only praise is that the actors did a really good job...but the producers RUINED the original storyline!!!

2013-04-27 02:39:12

Not sorry I paid for the rental but wouldn't do it again

This review is from: My Sister's Keeper (2009) (Amazon Instant Video) Like every book I've read that has been made into a movie; the book is better. While I understand that Hollywood has to take artistic license with movie making this was done with a liberal hand. The ending is completely different from the book. The surface of the brother's(Jesse) troubled youth is only scratched and the marital strain is hinted and and once agin not fully explored. I guess you can only do so much in two hours which is coincidentally how long it took me to read the book, although i will confess I have now read it through about 5 times. I cannot say that I would view this movie more than once.

2013-04-24 02:42:03

My Sister's Keeper

This review is from: My Sister's Keeper (2009) (Amazon Instant Video) You can't miss this one! Be sure to have tissue close by. This is a bittersweet story of strength and victory.

postparr 2013-04-23 22:09:48

A self-ruined adaptation

This movie had all the promise of being an amazing adaptation to one ofthe best books I've read in a long time. The casting was fantastic andthe acting was similarly impressive, especially that of Abigail Breslinand Cameron Diaz (I felt as unsympathetic to her in the movie as I didin the book).But way to ruin what could have been a brilliant celebration of thisbest-selling book. Changing the ending the way they did completelydestroys the whole point of the story. It was a typical Hollywoodcopy-out, utterly disappointing and gutless which made myself, andother fans of the book suitably outraged.The ending is one of the greatest shell shocks in the book, a realheart-stopper with great shock-value, surely something a film wouldwant to include.GET SOME BALLS Hollywood - YOUR COPOUT ENDINGS ARE SO INFURIATING!

2013-04-22 16:15:09

This is about THE MOVIE, THE MOVIE, THE MOVIE, not the book

Having not read the book, I am unable to use this space as a critique of how the movie and book compare. So skip half of these reviews, and read this one---it IS about the movie by itself.This is a major league tear-jerker, as it should be. It is good to see a big screen portrayal of the horror and pain inflicted when a child becomes sick. Although we have made huge strides in medicine, I cannot help but to believe that it's borderline barbaric to make a child sicker in order to increase the odds of survival. Having said that, what else can any of us do in a similar circumstance? NOTHING. You live by instinct and emotion---doing the logical or "right thing" is impossible because nobody knows what that is. This is but one portrayal of what such a family might go through.I believe all the actors here did a marvelous job. Cameron Diaz surprised me; she plays a Mother having multiple internal conflicts, and she plays it very well IMO. Sofia Vassilieva is absolutely terrific as the poor beautiful soul cursed with acute promyelocytic leukemia. Where do these young actors come from?! Amazing. Alec Baldwin, my personal dislike aside, gets my utmost respect here. He's just one of the best at playing these parts, and he certainly showed up for the job during this movie. Btw, I mention the dislike angle to illustrate that the man's acting abilities go a long way to counteract such views. I hope he's around for a long time.I found the medical emancipation issue quite interesting and new to think about. Although a lot of time was spent on it---maybe it shouldn't have been, it could be that the movie would have been too weak without that extra baggage. Still though, it seemed to flow fine with this reviewer. Another thing that struck me, and I believe it is important to keep it in one's mind, is that events such as these are life's great equalizers. No amount of wealth, power, or connections can make one's life any better when you are dealt one of these hands. You are simply a sitting duck, waiting for fate to do what it's going to do.The blu-ray edition (at least my rental version) does not have a special features section. This was one film where I missed that immensely; I would have enjoyed seeing interviews of the young actors, to see how they prepared, and how they kept themselves from drowning in the subject matter mentally. For the adult actors (Cameron and Jason Patric), I cannot imagine spending a dozen hours or more every day being immersed in this subject matter. That is why they make the big bucks though.I recommend this movie.

sddavis63 2013-04-22 07:14:44

A Truly Powerful Movie That Strikes A Chord

Is there anything that can really be criticized about this movie? Iknow that some people are upset that the movie's ending issubstantially different from that of the book on which this was based,but I've never read the book - so I don't care. I have to judge thismovie on its own merits, and it's absolutely brilliant - the story, theacting, the writing. The movie offers the viewer an ethical dilemma.Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) is dying of leukemia. When she was firstdiagnosed, her parents (Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric) decided to haveanother child (Anna, played by Abigail Breslin) in the hopes that herplacental blood would help cure the condition. Instead, it simply addsyears on to her life, as she slowly declines and Anna becomes a moreand more unwilling yet repeated donor of blood, bone marrow and - asthe movie picks up the story - now a kidney. To prevent it, and knowingthat it will mean Kate's death, Anna hires a lawyer to sue her parentsfor "medical emancipation" - the right to make her own medicaldecisions.Although moving, this wasn't as much of a tear jerker as I thought itwould be. Instead, it does focus on that ethical dilemma from a varietyof perspectives, primarily raising the question of whether onedaughter's life should take precedence over the other's quality oflife. Cameron Diaz was fantastic in a role that, as the movie began, Ididn't really think would fit her very well. Instead, she was totallyconvincing as the mother in denial. She can't accept that Kate isdying; she can't accept that Kate is tired of living; she can't acceptthat Anna is tired of being Kate's only lifeline; she can't accept thather own family is increasingly turning against her views on this. Shehas two daughters - one who needs to be told that it's OK to die, andone that needs to be told that it's OK to live, and she can't meet theneeds of either. We see where the movie is heading almost from thebeginning, which is one of the complaints of those who loved the book -it had a surprise, "twist" ending apparently, as opposed to thepredictable ending in this one. The problem with "twist" endings,though, is that they can seem artificial and unreal. The movie's ending- while predictable - was also powerfully real, as is the movie as awhole. I was truly surprised by how much of a chord it struck in me.10/10

2013-04-20 01:52:25

Book is better.

This review is from: My Sister's Keeper [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) I liked the book a lot better. The book was more about the relationships between all of the primary players. The movie didn't really explain what was going on. The ending was different too.

ktaylor_09 2013-04-19 09:38:04

My Sister's Keeper

Brian (Jason Patric) and Sara (Cameron Diaz) think they have the ideallife. With two beautiful children and jobs they both love, life cannotget any better. That is, until Kate (Sophia Vassilieva) is diagnosedwith Leukemia and no one in the family is a match. The Fitzgerald'sfeel they have no other option, but to conceive a child in a test tubeas a perfect genetic match for Kate. Could this be the best decision,or could it be a recipe for disaster? As a result, Anna Fitzgerald (Abigail Breslin) is born for the solepurpose of keeping her sister alive. Throughout Anna's entire life shehas been poked and prodded with needles for blood work, bone marrow,and been hospitalized for infections. It almost seems that Anna is inthe hospital just as much as Kate. Anna has never had a problem helpingher sister live because she loves her. If Kate needs something, Annagives it to her. But when Kate relapses and needs a kidney to survive,Anna says enough is enough and she will not be cut open again. Ofcourse, this sends her family into massive uproar. When Sara tries toforce Anna to give Kate one of her kidneys, Anna hires a lawyer to sueher parents for the right to her own body. Now, the fate of a youngsick girl is in the hands of a judge.From the director of the "Notebook", Nick Cassavetes, brings us a heartwrenching story based on Jodi Picoult's novel "My Sister's Keeper". Themovie almost brings us to tears from the very first minute. We see Kateat her worst, puking up blood with pale chapped lips. We go through theemotions with the rest of the family of coping with a dying familymember. Many families can relate to this movie making it even morepersonal. This film tugs at our heart strings. We all love an excuse tobreak out the box of Kleenexes.

kreed11 2013-04-17 13:04:48

Heartwarming adaptation

One of the most interesting movie going experiences came when towardthe end of this film, the noise of someone blowing their nose filledthe theater. A soft giggle then filled the theater. I hate to say thatthis is one of "those movies," where you know there's a chance that youmight end up in tears by the end, but I'm afraid it's true. Thestruggle between life and death, not only for middle child Kate, butalso for the whole family, is heartwarming. Cameron Diaz, takes aserious turn, somehow she seems very comfortable in this role. AndSofia Vassilieva shows both sides of cancer. The heartache and thepain, but also the beauty in how tragedy can bring families together.

2013-04-17 04:59:58

Such a sad but wonderful movie

This review is from: My Sister's Keeper (Amazon Instant Video) Cameron has really showed how she can be a serious actress in this very deep and emotional movie which strays away from her normal comedy style....have a box of tissue next to you when your watching this

2013-04-16 09:44:49

^.~

This review is from: My Sister's Keeper (Amazon Instant Video) I was such a touching movie

juliefuentes 2013-04-15 21:12:01

i loved it!

i love this movie so much it made me cry a lot and i don't really cryin movies.It has drama,some action and its interesting.It does make yousorta like anxious because you want to know what happens next.i Recommend this movie and be sure to have a tissue box close to youwhen watching it.You can watch this movie with a friend,boyfriend or the wholefamily.don't forget the popcorn :).Okay now enjoy the movie when you go watch it.Watch it if you can (Laugh)................. love it i know youwill............... Have fun...................................GOOD.................................................Bye....................................................