My Sister's Keeper (2009) Review

I read the book My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult almost two years ago and I emailed Picoult and told her I would love to see the book made into a movie.  I was pleasantly surprised when a few months later she emailed me back and said my wish was coming true, My Sister's Keeper was coming to the big screen!  By then my sister had already read the book as well as a good friend of mine and we were all waiting for the movie to premiere.

My younger sister's birthday is July 1st so I planned a day with the girls to get her to the movie.  One of my nephews asked if he could tag along because he didn't want to be home alone while his siblings were with other family and his dad was at work so we took Marcus with us.

Don't get this movie confused with the movie of the same title that is playing on Lifetime with Elizabeth Perkins.  That one is based on a true story about a lady that takes care of her special needs sister.  The 2009 version reaches out to a younger generation, has a lot of medical issues and addresses some moral, ethical and legal issues.  Before I go too far let me introduce you to some of the main cast:

• Abigail Breslin is Anna Fitzgerald
• Sofia Vassilieva is Kate Fitzgerald
• Cameron Dias is Sara Fitzgerald
• Jason Patric is Brian Fitzgerald
• Evan Ellingson is Jesse Fitzgerald
• Heather Wahlquis is Aunt Kelly
• Alec Baldwin is Attorney Campbell Alexander
• Joan Cusack is Judge De Salvo
• Thomas Dekker is Taylor Ambrose

If you have already read the book you will thoroughly enjoy the movie.  Take along some hankies because you will cry.  This movie is so moving that we could hear people crying in the theater.  There were moments when we could barely hear the words because people were sobbing so loudly.  I was no exception.

At age four Kate is diagnosed with Leukemia and without a bone marrow transplant she will die.  Her older brother Jesse is not a match nor are her parents.  A doctor suggest that the Fitzgeralds conceive a geneticaly created child that will be the perfect match for Kate.  Anna is the result of this preconceived notion and for the next 11 years her body is a donor to her sister. 

Kate goes into renal failure and her only hope of living is to receive a kidney transplant and the ideal donor is her sister Anna.  Anna is into sports and has been told that if she donates a kidney she can no longer play sports and she will have to be careful the rest of her life.  She loves her sister but she doesn't want to live the rest of her life that way.  So, she decides to sue her parents for medical emancipation and she hires the best attorney in town, Campbell Alexander.

Alexander has a service dog named Judge.  You will have to watch the movie to find out why he has a service dog.  Anna's mother, Sara, decides to represent herself because she is a non-practicing attorney.  Brian, Anna's father, is a fireman and he adores all his children and wants what's best for them.

Joan Cusack plays the judge who will be presiding over the case.  She was on a leave of absence and was just returning to the courtroom when the case was coming to trial.  You will have to see the movie to find out what made her leave the practice for about a year.

Watching or reading My Sister's Keeper brings a lot of issues to the public eye.  Is it right to conceive a child so that he/she might be a donor?  What happens if the sick child dies?  Do you still love the healthy child?  And how does the healthy child feel if they know that after all they did it wasn't enough?  And at what point do you begin to take notice of what all the medical procedures are doing to the healthy child?  Has anyone considered their well-being?

Sara is accused of choosing one child's life over the other when what she really wants is to have both children with her.  Jesse doesn't have as much a storyline in the movie as he does in the book and I was a little disappointed that they left out his big storyline.

My Sister's Keeper has a beautiful musical accompaniment with it.  I went to Walmart to see if I could find the soundtrack but it wasn't available.  When they played "Feels Like Home To Me" I started crying as I recalled the song that was played at the end of "Farrah's Story" the night before. I finally ordered the soundtrack from Amazon.com.  You can click here to read that review.

There was an even greater significance for me to want to watch this movie and to do so with family.  I am a cancer survivor.  I had bone cancer for 3 years and my family watched me go through chemo, radiation, bone marrow aspirations, etc.  They saw the high intensity of vomiting.  Lucky for me there wasn't a lot of bleeding episodes.  My Sister's Keeper brings to light the ugliness of cancer.  It puts a face to the name and illness and it brings it home.

A lot of the websites are going to be misleading as you are going to believe that Dakota and Elle Fanning play the sisters but they backed out before filming.  I have always loved Cameron Diaz and her soft mousy voice but she doesn't get much film recognition.  She proves herself as a mother determined to save the life of her girl and she has a powerhouse performance.  Most love Joan Cusack for all her quirky movie roles.  She was good in this one but I had a problem with the odd facial expressions she was always doing.  Kate's oncologist is phenomenal and when you see the hospital scenes you think you are watching one of the St. Jude's Children Miracle Networks.  There are a few funny moments but for the most part you are going to cry.

You will walk away with a greater appreciation for family, friends and especially for those who have to stand by and watch a family member live with a terminal illness.  If you have read the book I would still recommend the movie because although it does follow the storyline pretty good there are still some twists and turns along the way and in the end it's not what you think.

Watch the movie to find out:

• What happens to cause the Judge's nervous breakdown?
• Why does Anna decide to choose for medical emancipation?
• Who falls in love and who dies?
• Who wins the lawsuit?

I will definitely be buying this right when it's released on new movie Tuesday.