My Sister's Keeper (film)

Last updated

My Sister's Keeper
My sisters keeper poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Nick Cassavetes
Screenplay by Jeremy Leven
Nick Cassavetes
Based on My Sister’s Keeper
by Jodi Picoult
Produced by Stephen Furst
Scott Goldman
Mark Johnson
Chuck Pacheco
Mendel Tropper
Starring
Cinematography Caleb Deschanel
Edited byJim Flynn
Alan Heim
Music by Aaron Zigman
Production
companies
New Line Cinema
Curmudgeon Films
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • June 26, 2009 (2009-06-26)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million
Box office$92.7 million

My Sister's Keeper is a 2009 American drama film directed by Nick Cassavetes and starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Sofia Vassilieva and Alec Baldwin. Based on Jodi Picoult's 2004 novel of the same name, which is also based on Marissa and Anissa Ayala. [1] on June 26, 2009, the film was released to cinemas in the United States, [2] Canada, Ireland, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.

Contents

Plot

Young Kate Fitzgerald is diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia, devastating her parents, firefighter Brian and lawyer Sara. As neither parent nor Kate's older brother Jesse are a genetic match, Brian and Sara conceive a savior sister, Anna, through in vitro fertilization.

Beginning with the harvest of her umbilical cord at birth, Anna has donated compatible blood and stem cells to Kate, and her life has been full of hospitalizations, growth hormone injections, opioid painkillers, sleeping pills, bleeding, and infections. Sara has no qualms over using Anna's body to treat Kate's, and believes Anna is a willing donor. Brian is closer to Anna and has misgivings. Kate also shares a close relationship with Anna, and secretly feels guilty for the ways in which her illness has affected her siblings – for example, Jesse's dyslexia went unnoticed for years as she received all of her parents' attention, causing his grades to suffer.

At age fifteen, Kate goes into kidney failure, requiring 11-year-old Anna to donate one of her kidneys, which will restrict her quality of life. With Jesse's help, Anna approaches attorney Campbell Alexander to sue her parents for medical emancipation. Campbell's covert epilepsy lends him sympathy, and he takes her case pro bono. Representing Anna as her guardian ad litem , he files a suit for partial termination of parental rights. This causes a rift between Anna and Sara, and Brian moves Anna into his fire station to separate them.

Kate begins dating fellow cancer patient Taylor. After attending the hospital prom for teen patients, they have sex for the first time. Taylor dies a few days later. Kate attempts suicide by overdosing on painkillers before Anna stops her.

Sara fails to get the suit thrown out and it proceeds to trial. Shortly before the hearing, Kate requests one last trip to the beach. Brian discharges her from the hospital for the day. Sara demands she be returned to the hospital, but he threatens to divorce her if she does not join them. They all enjoy one final family outing.

At the hearing, Jesse intervenes during Sara's aggressive cross-examination of Anna and forces her to confess that she is acting under Kate's wishes instead of her own. While Anna had genuinely been willing to donate her kidney, Kate asked her to refuse, knowing she would not survive another operation and having endured enough of both her own and her family's suffering. Sara finally acknowledges that Kate is ready to die, and Kate dies in her sleep with Sara by her side.

After Kate's death, Campbell reports that Anna has won the case. Now reconciled, the family moves on with their lives. Sara, who gave up practicing law to look after Kate, returns to work, Brian retires from firefighting and counsels troubled youths, and Jesse enters college.

In a voice-over, Anna says that every year on Kate's birthday, they go to Montana, which was Kate's "most favorite place in the world". She concludes that she was not born merely to save her sister, she was born because she had a sister, and that their relationship continues even in death.

Cast

Production

Sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning were originally cast to play Kate and Anna respectively, until Dakota learned that she would be required to shave her head for the role. She dropped out of the film as then did Elle. [3] Jodi Picoult said in interview she regretted letting Nick Cassavetes direct the film, as he changed its ending from her novel. [4] In the novel Anna gains medical emancipation and indicates to Campbell that she wishes to donate a kidney to Kate anyway, but is killed in a car crash on the way home from court. Campbell approves the organ transplant and Kate's life is saved.

Reception

Critical response

My Sister's Keeper received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 47% of reviews for the film were positive, based on 139 reviews, with an average rating of 5.50/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "My Sister's Keeper gets fine performances from its adult and child actors, but the director's heavy-handed approach turns a worthy emotional subject into an overly melodramatic tearjerker." [5] Another aggregator, Metacritic, reported a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 28 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [6] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale. [7]

Box office

In its opening weekend, it placed fifth with a total of $12,442,212, behind Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen , The Proposal (second weekend), The Hangover (fourth weekend), and Up (fifth weekend). [8] The film left theatres on October 8, 2009, with a domestic total of $49,200,230 with a further $46,459,927 from foreign markets. It has grossed $95,660,157 worldwide. [2]

Awards

YearAwardCategoryRecipientResult
2009 Teen Choice Award Choice Summer Movie DramaMy Sister's KeeperWon [9]
2009 ALMA Awards Outstanding Actress in Motion Picture Cameron Diaz Won
2010 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress Abigail Breslin Won
Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting ActorBrennan BaileyNominated
Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Actress Sofia Vassilieva Won

Soundtrack

Trailer:

TV spot:

Movie:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cameron Diaz</span> American actress (born 1972)

Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress. Known for her work in both comedy and drama, her films have grossed over $3 billion in the U.S. box-office. Diaz established herself as a sex symbol and one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, and in 2013 she was named the highest-paid actress over 40. She has received various accolades, including nominations for a BAFTA Award and four Golden Globe Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Hudson</span> American actress and singer (born 1979)

Kate Garry Hudson is an American actress and singer. She has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a nomination for an Academy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isla Fisher</span> Australian actress (born 1976)

Isla Lang Fisher is an Australian actress. Born in Oman to Scottish parents who moved with her to Australia during her childhood, she began appearing in television commercials and came to prominence for her portrayal of Shannon Reed on the Australian soap opera Home and Away (1994–1997), for which she received two Logie Award nominations.

<i>Raising Helen</i> 2004 film by Garry Marshall

Raising Helen is a 2004 American comedy-drama film directed by Garry Marshall and written by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler. It stars Kate Hudson, John Corbett, Joan Cusack, Hayden Panettiere, siblings Spencer and Abigail Breslin, and Helen Mirren. It grossed $37,486,512 at the U.S. box office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elle Fanning</span> American actress (born 1998)

Mary Elle Fanning is an American actress. She made her film debut as a child as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film I Am Sam (2001). She appeared in several other films as a child actress, including Daddy Day Care (2003), Babel (2006), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Phoebe in Wonderland, and the miniseries The Lost Room (2006). She then had leading roles in Sofia Coppola's drama Somewhere (2010) and J. J. Abrams' science fiction film Super 8 (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Cassavetes</span> American actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1959)

Nicholas David Rowland Cassavetes is an American actor, director, and writer. He has directed such films as She's So Lovely (1997), John Q. (2002), The Notebook (2004), Alpha Dog (2006), and My Sister's Keeper (2009). His acting credits include an uncredited role in Husbands (1970)—which was directed by his father, John Cassavetes—as well as roles in the films The Wraith (1986), Face/Off (1997), and Blow (2001).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jodi Picoult</span> American author

Jodi Lynn Picoult is an American writer. Picoult has published 28 novels and short stories, and has also written several issues of Wonder Woman. Approximately 40 million copies of her books are in print worldwide and have been translated into 34 languages. In 2003, she was awarded the New England Bookseller Award for fiction.

<i>My Sisters Keeper</i> (novel) 2004 novel by Jodi Picoult

My Sister's Keeper is the eleventh novel by the American author Jodi Picoult. It is based upon Anissa and Marissa Ayala. Published in 2004, it tells the story of thirteen-year-old Anna Fitzgerald, who sues her parents for medical emancipation when she is told to donate a kidney to her elder sister Kate, who is suffering from acute leukemia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sofia Vassilieva</span> American actress (born 1992)

Sofia Vladimirovna Vassilieva is an American actress. Notable roles include portraying the children's book character Eloise in Eloise at the Plaza and Eloise at Christmastime, Ariel DuBois in the Emmy-winning TV series Medium, and teenage cancer patient Kate Fitzgerald in the 2009 film adaptation of My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dakota Fanning</span> American actress (born 1994)

Hannah Dakota Fanning is an American actress. She rose to prominence as a child actress at the age of seven for playing the daughter of an intellectually challenged man in the drama film I Am Sam (2001), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, making her the youngest nominee in SAG history. Fanning had further roles as a child actress in Taken (2002), Uptown Girls (2003), The Cat in the Hat (2003), Man on Fire (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Charlotte's Web (2006), The Secret Life of Bees (2008) and the lead voice role in Coraline (2009).

<i>No Reservations</i> (film) 2007 film by Scott Hicks

No Reservations is a 2007 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Scott Hicks and starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, and Abigail Breslin. The screenplay by Carol Fuchs is an adaptation of an original script by Sandra Nettelbeck, which served as the basis for the 2001 German film Mostly Martha, and revolves around a hard-edged chef whose life is turned upside down when she decides to take in her young niece following a tragic accident that killed her sister. Patricia Clarkson, Bob Balaban, and Jenny Wade co-star, with Brían F. O'Byrne, Lily Rabe, and Zoë Kravitz—appearing in her first feature film—playing supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abigail Breslin</span> American actress (born 1996)

Abigail Breslin is an American actress. Following a string of film parts as a young child, she rose to prominence at age 10 when she played Olive Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), for which she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Breslin went on to establish herself as a mainstream actress with roles in films such as No Reservations (2007), Nim's Island, Definitely, Maybe, My Sister's Keeper, Zombieland, Rango (2011), The Call, August: Osage County, Maggie (2015), and Stillwater (2021). Her other projects include the Fox series Scream Queens (2015–2016), where she portrayed Libby Putney, her first regular role on television.

<i>Change of Heart</i> (novel) 2008 novel by Jodi Picoult

Change of Heart is the sixteenth novel by American author Jodi Picoult, published in 2008. The novel explores themes of loss, redemption, religion and spirituality, and punishment.

<i>Handle with Care</i> (novel) 2009 novel by Jodi Picoult

Handle with Care (2009) is the 17th novel by the American author Jodi Picoult. It debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list.

<i>House Rules</i> (novel) 2010 novel by Jodi Picoult

House Rules (2010) is the eighteenth novel by the American author Jodi Picoult. The novel focuses on a young adult male, Jacob Hunt, with Asperger's syndrome living in Townshend, Vermont, who is accused of murder. The novel follows the struggle between Jacob and his family, the law, and his disability.

<i>Madeas Witness Protection</i> 2012 American film

Madea's Witness Protection is a 2012 American comedy film directed, written and produced by Tyler Perry. The film stars Perry, Eugene Levy, Denise Richards, Doris Roberts, Romeo Miller, Tom Arnold, John Amos, and Marla Gibbs. It is the fourteenth film by Perry and the seventh installment in the Madea cinematic universe. It is the fourth Perry film not to be adapted from a play, alongside The Family That Preys, Daddy's Little Girls, and Good Deeds, as well as the first Madea film not to be adapted from a play. It tells the story about Madea being a host to a family that the FBI has entered into the witness protection program due to the fact that the patriarch has been the CFO of a company that a crime family was using to further their Ponzi schemes.

<i>Lone Wolf</i> (Picoult novel) 2012 novel by Jodi Picoult

Lone Wolf (2012) is the twentieth novel by the American author Jodi Picoult, and it is a New York Times bestselling book. The novel was released on February 28, 2012 through Atria Books and focuses on a man returning to his childhood home after a terrible accident.

<i>Small Great Things</i> 2016 novel by Jodi Picoult

Small Great Things (2016) is the twenty-fifth novel by American author Jodi Picoult. The book focuses on race in America and revolves around the protagonist, a delivery nurse, named Ruth Jefferson. Small Great Things is being adapted into a film starring Viola Davis and Julia Roberts. This is Picoult's first novel with an African American protagonist.

<i>Vanishing Acts</i> 2005 novel by Jodi Picoult

Vanishing Acts (2005) is the twelfth novel by the American author Jodi Picoult. The novel is set in rural New Hampshire, and the story focuses on Delia Hopkins, a missing persons' investigator, and her family, including her young daughter, Sophie, her widowed father, Andrew, and her search and rescue bloodhound, Greta.

<i>Leaving Time</i> 2014 novel by Jodi Picoult

Leaving Time is a 2014 novel by American writer Jodi Picoult. It is the twenty-third novel written by the author. The first edition was published on October 14, 2014, by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House.

References

  1. Fleming, Michael (February 12, 2008). "Breslin, Vassilieva to star in 'Keeper'. Duo replaces Fanning sisters in New Line film". Variety. Retrieved February 13, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "My Sister's Keeper (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  3. "Dakota Fanning Steps Down From 'My Sister's Keeper' Role". Starpulse.com. February 13, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  4. "Jodi Picoult: 'My most treasured possessions are my grandmother's handwritten recipes. They are terrible'". The Guardian. November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  5. "My Sister's Keeper". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  6. "My Sister's Keeper Reviews". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  7. "Home". CinemaScore. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  8. "Weekend Box Office Results for June 26–28, 2009". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  9. "Teen Choice Awards winners - USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved January 15, 2019.