My Sister's Keeper (2009)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Nick Cassavetes

Writers (WGA):

Jeremy Leven (screenplay) and
Nick Cassavetes (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 June 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Anna Fitzgerald looks to earn medical emancipation from her parents who until now have relied on their youngest child to help their leukemia-stricken daughter Kate remain alive.

Plot Keywords:

Family Relationships | Family Crisis | Terminal Illness | Boyfriend Girlfriend Relationship | Punctuation In Title

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Abigail Breslin	...	Andromeda 'Anna' Fitzgerald
Walter Raney	...	Pawn Shop Proprietor
Sofia Vassilieva	...	Kate Fitzgerald
Cameron Diaz	...	Sara Fitzgerald
Heather Wahlquist	...	Aunt Kelly
Jason Patric	...	Brian Fitzgerald
Evan Ellingson	...	Jesse Fitzgerald
Alec Baldwin	...	Campbell Alexander
Nicole Marie Lenz	...	Gloria (as Nicole Lenz)
Brennan Bailey	...	Jesse Fitzgerald - Age 10
Olivia Hancock	...	Kate (Age 2)
Jeffrey Markle	...	Dr. Wayne
Emily Deschanel	...	Dr. Farquad
John DeRosa	...	EMT #1
Marcos A. Ferraez	...	EMT #2 (as Marcos De La Cruz)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, some disturbing images, sensuality, language and brief teen drinking.

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #45058) | Ireland:15A | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | UK:12A | Iceland:12 | Mexico:B | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Taiwan:GP | Netherlands:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Brazil:12 | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Curmudgeon Films

Trivia:

Elle Fanning and Dakota Fanning were originally set to play Anna and Kate Fitzgerald, but bowed out after Dakota reportedly refused to shave her head, as required for the part.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Just after the court case the lawyer drives to the family's home, yet he had just had an epileptic fit and was known to have regular fits - hence the dog. In California, and most of USA, your epilepsy must be controlled for at least 3 months before you are allowed to drive.

Quotes:

Kate Fitzgerald: Want to hear our routine?
Sara Fitzgerald: What routine?
Andromeda 'Anna' Fitzgerald: [lowers voice, imitating a male] Hey baby, what's your sign?
Kate Fitzgerald: Cancer.
Andromeda 'Anna' Fitzgerald: You're a cancer?
Kate Fitzgerald: No, I'm a Leo.
Andromeda 'Anna' Fitzgerald, Kate Fitzgerald: But I have cancer.

Movie Connections:

Features Pleasantville (1998)

We make choices in life every day, and you should make a choice and see this movie

(Synopsis) Sara (Cameron Diaz) and Brian Fitzgerald (Jason Patric) have just been informed that their young daughter Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) has leukemia, and that she only has a few years to live. The doctor suggests to the parents that they try 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 try anything to save Kate, and they have a new baby Anna (Abigail Breslin) to be used as a donor for Kate. The first thing they use is blood from the umbilical cord for Kate. As years go on, the doctors must take bone marrow from Anna to give to Kate. At age 11, the next thing Anna must give to her sister is a kidney. Anna has had enough of all of these medical procedures, and she decides to sue her parents for medical emancipation and the right to decide how her body will be used. The whole family is being torn apart by Anna's decision because everyone knows what will happen to Kate if she doesn't get a new kidney.

(My Comment) Everyone knows from the movie trailer that the story is about a young girl who has cancer. You would think that it would be a depressing movie, but you would be wrong. It is a story of some of the choices we make in life. Having a test-tube baby as body parts for another child was a choice made by the parents. Anna wanting to stop giving her body to her sister was a choice. As with all choices, there are consequences. Kate will die without a new kidney. There are many very hard choices in life and in death that we must make, and this is a good movie to show you the way. Diaz as the pragmatic lawyer who was fighting to the very end for her daughter lost focus on life, and the rest of her family. I believe that this is Diaz's best part and performance as an actress. Sofia Vassilieva played Kate, who was in pain for most of her life. Sofia played Kate so well that you could see the helplessness in her eyes as she fights for her life. Anna was also part of this pain, and Abigail Breslin played this part as a professional. Actually, the whole cast was outstanding throughout the film. I loved the collaged scrapbook with voice-over and flashbacks that Kate made to give to her mother. This is a good movie to see with your loved ones. (New Line Cinema, Run Time 1:49, Rated PG-13) (10/10)