MY SISTER’S KEEPER

CAROLINE: “My Sister’s Keeper” is the new dramatic weeper starring Cameron Diaz, lil’ Abigail Breslin and the oldest daughter from TV’s “Medium,” Sofia Vassilieva.

RYAN: We heard that Dakota Fanning was originally slated for Sofia’s part, but she refused to shave her head for the role of a cancer patient. So Sofia stepped right in and she done made herself a movie star.

CAROLINE: Here’s the thing – even though this movie made me cry several times, I really enjoyed it; but I ask you, who’s going to want to see a movie about a little girl dying of cancer?

RYAN: I prefer to cry at romantic dramas than cancer movies. But what I liked about this movie was that it had a different look, sound and feel than other movies we’ve seen recently. I really appreciated Nick Cassavetes’s direction and creative approach.

CAROLINE: The movie got off to a little bit of a slow start, and I feared it was going to be melodramatic and overwrought. But it was actually pretty well done, and I think Cameron Diaz held her own in a dramatic role. Abigail Breslin annoyed me slightly. Her voice over at the beginning was grating; she doesn’t have a very pleasant voice. But her acting was good, for sure.

RYAN: Abigail Breslin is fast approaching the annoying factor that Dakota Fanning has reached. But I just loved Cameron. She’s a really good actress, and so enjoyable to watch. I know we love to see her smile, dance and giggle in romantic comedies, but I really liked seeing her do a dramatic role. It’s a great genre break for her. And Jason Patric looks way hotter in the movie than he did on the red carpet.

CAROLINE: Yes, we actually got to attend the premiere for this movie and we saw the whole cast on the red carpet. We were feeling very fancy about it until we realized we were seated in the balcony with the unwashed masses. At first we were all psyched because hardly anyone was sitting up there; but then they opened it up to the public and… let’s just say it was unpleasant.

RYAN: Yeah. A lot of the people were unshowered and loud and eating their dinners out of styrofoam containers and not realizing their cell phones had an off button.

CAROLINE: It was painful. Four separate cell phones must have gone off.

RYAN: And each one multiple times. I just don’t understand why people can’t silence their phones.

CAROLINE: Overall though, the movie seemed to be a pretty realistic portrayal of what a family goes through when someone has cancer. I don’t know it from personal experience, but it seemed pretty true to life.

RYAN: I loved the soundtrack; especially that gorgeous Cyndi Lauper cover.

CAROLINE: I just kept having to brace myself for another bout of crying. This movie was just so sad. You could feel the build up coming, and you’re like, “Oh God, here come the waterworks again.”

RYAN: I don’t cry in movies as oft as you do, but this movie even got to me a couple times. It doesn’t feel too long, but it’s definitely slow-paced and the topic is so mature and adult that I think it’ll limit the audiences. I don’t think the young girls who usually come out to see Abigail Breslin in a movie will necessarily want to see this.

CAROLINE: The only reason parents might bring their kids to this is to help them understand death or something. But I really can’t imagine bringing a child to this movie. It’s gonna be a tough sell.

— BOTTOM LINE —

RYAN: It’s a beautifully articulated film that highlights some great relationships and family struggle. Cameron Diaz’s performance is great, though she’s really not the star of the film. Both the girls have bigger roles. I liked Alec Baldwin; he provides some comic relief. And Joan Cusack was great too. I would recommend this movie, but you could wait to see it when it’s on cable. It’s cinematic, but it’s not as beautiful as the other Nick Cassavetes film we adore, “The Notebook.”

CAROLINE: This movie would be very difficult to watch if you’ve lost anyone you know to cancer. I just can’t imagine seeing it if I’d had that in my life; it would be too devastating. I really liked it though, because the topic is handled so well and the performances are strong. I just don’t know if it’s the kind of movie where I would tell people, “Wow, you’ve got to go see it.” It might be too painful.

— RATING —