My Sister's Keeper: Very Good Adaptation of the Book
Instead of posting this as a review, I'd rather blog about it. Why? Because it deserves more than just a capsule review.
I was able to watch the advanced screening of this movie last night at Megamall and I wasn't expecting to see the theater filled to the brim. I guess it's an indication that it won't be a hit movie for Cameron Diaz. But there's always a chance that it can be a sleeper hit like the previous film of Director Nick Cassavetes' The Notebook. Cassavetes again tries his hand on another adaptation and, for me, it works very well.
For those who are not familiar about the storyline, My Sister's Keeper is about Ana, a designer baby, seeking medical emancipation from her parents since she seems to have grown tired of becoming an automatic matching donor for her elder sister Kate who's stricken with a rare form of leukemia.
This is what I like about American drama. It's understated and doesn't work hard to tug at your heartstrings (which is a far cry from Filipino drama movies with an exception of a few). You know that Kate will die in the end. You know that Kate is living on borrowed time.
The whole movie is emotionally heavy because of the story. And I think Cassavetes understands that the viewer doesn't need to cry buckets of tears to justify the movie's genre. So Cassavetes makes every happy scene in the movie a treasure for all the characters, making the viewers' hearts break.
While Jodie Picoult's book justifies its title (read it so you'll know why the title is My Sister's Keeper), the writers of the movie changed the book's ending to make it a story about life and about letting go. This won't bode well for the fans of the book but having a deus ex machina in the movie's ending would definitely be unbelievable. It may work for the book, but in my opinion, won't work for the movie after all the drama all the characters went through.
As it is, the movie is very good. Now I know that Cameron Diaz can act (hahahahahahahaha), especially when she broke down and has to accept the fact that Kate is dying. Abigail Breslin as Ana is a smart and an intelligent actress for her age. Sofia Vassilieva as Kate is terrific (worthy of nomination, imo). The rest of the cast were great, too.
Adapting a book for the big screen has always been tricky. You wouldn't want to alienate the fans of the book at the expense of the audience or vice versa. The writers (Jeremy Leven and Cassavetes) had to do away with subplots and tone down the characters of Kate and Ana's brother (in the book, Jesse, the brother, is an arsonist) and Campbell (played by Alec Baldwin in the movie), the attorney full of wisecracks in the book. This is so in order for the movie to focus more on Kate and how her family cope. I really think this movie is an intelligent adaptation of the original material.
I have enjoyed the book and have enjoyed watching the movie. I can safely say that you too would enjoy the movie as well as enjoy the book. Take them on their own merits and not compare them, for both are worthy of your time.
I was able to watch the advanced screening of this movie last night at Megamall and I wasn't expecting to see the theater filled to the brim. I guess it's an indication that it won't be a hit movie for Cameron Diaz. But there's always a chance that it can be a sleeper hit like the previous film of Director Nick Cassavetes' The Notebook. Cassavetes again tries his hand on another adaptation and, for me, it works very well.
For those who are not familiar about the storyline, My Sister's Keeper is about Ana, a designer baby, seeking medical emancipation from her parents since she seems to have grown tired of becoming an automatic matching donor for her elder sister Kate who's stricken with a rare form of leukemia.
This is what I like about American drama. It's understated and doesn't work hard to tug at your heartstrings (which is a far cry from Filipino drama movies with an exception of a few). You know that Kate will die in the end. You know that Kate is living on borrowed time.
The whole movie is emotionally heavy because of the story. And I think Cassavetes understands that the viewer doesn't need to cry buckets of tears to justify the movie's genre. So Cassavetes makes every happy scene in the movie a treasure for all the characters, making the viewers' hearts break.
While Jodie Picoult's book justifies its title (read it so you'll know why the title is My Sister's Keeper), the writers of the movie changed the book's ending to make it a story about life and about letting go. This won't bode well for the fans of the book but having a deus ex machina in the movie's ending would definitely be unbelievable. It may work for the book, but in my opinion, won't work for the movie after all the drama all the characters went through.
As it is, the movie is very good. Now I know that Cameron Diaz can act (hahahahahahahaha), especially when she broke down and has to accept the fact that Kate is dying. Abigail Breslin as Ana is a smart and an intelligent actress for her age. Sofia Vassilieva as Kate is terrific (worthy of nomination, imo). The rest of the cast were great, too.
Adapting a book for the big screen has always been tricky. You wouldn't want to alienate the fans of the book at the expense of the audience or vice versa. The writers (Jeremy Leven and Cassavetes) had to do away with subplots and tone down the characters of Kate and Ana's brother (in the book, Jesse, the brother, is an arsonist) and Campbell (played by Alec Baldwin in the movie), the attorney full of wisecracks in the book. This is so in order for the movie to focus more on Kate and how her family cope. I really think this movie is an intelligent adaptation of the original material.
I have enjoyed the book and have enjoyed watching the movie. I can safely say that you too would enjoy the movie as well as enjoy the book. Take them on their own merits and not compare them, for both are worthy of your time.
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