[Cassavetes] refuses to let the material speak for itself, putting a famous-for-making-women-cry song behind almost every scene, and lingering on every sentimental moment.
Comment
07/31/09
My Sister's Keeper (2009)
48
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:122
Fresh:58
Rotten:64
Average Rating:5.6/10
Consensus: 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.
Australian Rating: TBC
Genre: Dramas
Australian Theatrical Release:
Jul 30, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $49,069,310
Synopsis: THE NOTEBOOK's Nick Cassavetes directs another tearjerking literary adaptation with this drama based on Jodi Picoult's novel. Cameron Diaz takes a detour from comedy to play Sara, the domineering... [More]
Starring: Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin, Sofia Vassilieva
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Reviews for My Sister's Keeper
Top CriticBring the tissues. This film works.
07/31/09
Top CriticThere's no question that this is a really intriguing drama and a drama that I think deserved better treatment than it gets here because I think Nick Cassevetes -- I don't think he's a very good director, really.
07/29/09
Top CriticThere is a touch of contrivance to the set-up that is not totally convincing and the film avoids much of the ethical arguments in favour of family drama. But I must admit to being affected.
07/29/09
Top CriticA morally ambiguous tearjerker with a twist.
07/29/09
Top CriticThough the motives of My Sister’s Keeper will seem dubious to some, there is no denying the performances on display keep everything in the realm of the watchable.
07/29/09
Top CriticAs manufactured Disease of the Week weepies go, Nick Cassavetes's drama based on a Jodi Picoult bestseller, is surprisingly moving.
07/29/09
Top CriticThe decision to avoid unnecessary sentimentality defines this film, elevating it to a more thoughtful if a touch less engaging arena, sacrificing emotional escapism for conversation provoking tragedy.
07/29/09
Top CriticThe obnoxious calculation smothers what should’ve been a pure articulation of melancholy and a potent debate of morality.
07/27/09
Top CriticClick to read the article
07/24/09
Top Critic[I]ntelligent, moving and even occasionally funny, although you might want to bring along a few tissues just in case.
08/11/09
Cassavetes...shows great skill in weaving bright moments -- even an adolescent romance -- into the gloom. It's still bittersweet, but like mass-produced crème caramel, never too bitter.
07/31/09
Top CriticWhat starts as an exploration of the ethics of organ-donation and genetic selection, rapidly disintegrates into a sloppy, unstructured, tear-jerking mess.
07/30/09
Sometimes, a sad story isn't just a manipulative venture that makes you cry. Sometimes, as in 'The Notebook,' it's a tale well told that brings out honest emotions. Sometimes, it's in a movie such as 'My Sister's Keeper.'
07/15/09
Navigates a minefield of emotional explosives intelligently and sensitively, with excellent performances that strike the right balance between heartfelt and hand-wringing.
07/15/09
The performances are first-rate, with special commendation to Vassilieva in a breakout performance as a teen striving for normalcy in spite of her cancer.
07/10/09
If the adults in My Sister's Keeper are repeatedly compromised in the honesty department, the children seem to embody truth physically.
07/10/09
My Sister's Keeper might have earned its weepy moments if it had played fair with its central dilemma rather than putting forward a false choice.
07/07/09
A tear-fest medical drama that seems much longer than it is.
07/03/09
...a high-class tear-jerker thanks to an intelligent script...sensitive direction...and strong performances...
07/03/09
Latest News for My Sister's Keeper
July 26, 2009:
Win a poster signed by Cameron Diaz
How would you like to have a poster of Cameron Diaz on your wall -- signed by the lady herself? To celebrate this week's release of Cameron's latest film, My Sister's Keeper,... More...
June 27, 2009:
Easily the most poignant picture of the year, achieved without resorting to manipulative soap opera devices. 
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June 25, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Transformers 2 Is Less Than Meets The Eye
This week at the movies, we've got robots in disguise (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, starring Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf) and a family in disrepair (My Sister's Keeper,... More...
June 25, 2009:
Box Office Guru Preview: Transformers Set to Smash Records
This summer's major artillery has taken over North American multiplexes with the mid-week launch of the action tentpole Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen which aims to become... More...
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