Seen on: June 27, 2009

The players: Director: Nick Cassavetes, Writer: Jeremy Leven, Cast: Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, Jason Patric, Joan Cusack

Facts of interest: Nick Cassavetes also directed "Alpha Dog" and "The Notebook."

The plot: After their daughter is diagnosed with leukemia, a married couple decides to genetically conceive a donor child.

Our thoughts: Nick Cassavetes’ “My Sister’s Keeper” could have been a compelling drama, but instead, it’s nothing but a simplistic tearjerker desperately trying to get audiences to shed tear after tear. The film raises several interesting issues, but sadly enough, it fails to examine them in greater detail because it’s just too busy rolling in schmaltz.

Based on the novel by Jodi Picoult, “Keeper” centers on Brian and Sara Fitzgerald, whose idyllic family life is disrupted when their daughter Kate is diagnosed with leukemia. Desperate to do whatever they can to help her, they decide to genetically conceive a child who can provide her sick sister with organs and blood transfusions.

After years of being forced to participate in painful medical procedures, however, Anna (Abigail Breslin) decides to sue her parents for the rights to her own body. This, of course, causes more friction between the Fitzgeralds, who are now aware they went against nature but still refuse to give up on their dying daughter Kate.

While you would expect the film to spend the majority of its running time analyzing the ethical and moral dilemma behind Brian and Sara’s decision to conceive a donor child and Anna’s struggle to obtain medical emancipation from her parents, “My Sister’s Keeper” takes another direction and literally drowns in sappy moments.

Besides only a few thought-provoking verbal confrontations between members of the Fitzgerald family and a series of rushed court room scenes that never gain momentum, the film spends most of the time delivering dramatic montages (corny songs included) surrounding Kate’s worsening sickness.

While this portrayal is certainly tragic and many of the scenes of her vomiting blood and trying to smile through the pain are indeed authentic and at times tough to watch, they don’t automatically make for a good, memorable movie. This time around, Cassavetes has brought us all the drama without the solid story.

Strangely enough, “Keeper” boasts overall excellent performances. Sofia Vassilieva does a great job portraying the dying Kate, and Breslin offers her best acting since “Little Miss Sunshine.” Cameron Diaz is a tad too hysterical at times as their mother, but she handles her character’s pain quite well. Jason Patric has a few moving moments, but his role as the dad is underused.

Freaky quote: "Most babies are accidents. Not me. I was engineered. Born to save my sister's life." – Abigail Breslin

The final word: I admit I’m someone who has no problem shedding a few tears during a heart-wrenching big-screen experience, but “My Sister’s Keeper” failed to win me over. The film has its moments, but all in all, it’s an effort far too monotonous to pass as a sophisticated drama with brain, heart and soul. The heart and soul are there, but the brain’s missing.

Article by Franck Tabouring