[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)
47
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:127
Fresh:60
Rotten:67
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 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 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 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 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 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 CriticClick to read the article
07/24/09
Top CriticLess an exercise in catharsis than an obstacle course of premise-heavy, flashback-drenched plot points, it's an emotional flat-liner, even though virtually every character (including Alec Baldwin as the lawyer) carries some hurt or grief.
06/25/09
A perfect example of a disease-of-the-week movie done wrong.
06/25/09
By the end we are screaming to yank our engines away from the forecourt as fuel spills – all that piano music, that gilded lighting, those glycerine tears – threatening a pyre of sense, sensibility and supersensitive subject choice.
07/03/09
Contrived or not, sad is sad, and My Sister's Keeper will have all but the most cement-hearted reaching for tissue.
06/26/09
A mawkish yet worthy enough addition to the summer line-up.
06/26/09
Keeper, striving to manipulate the audience, goes on a little longer than it should. However, the performances are so true that it's easy to forgive such unneeded, straight-to-the-heartstrings tactics.
06/25/09
An outrageous Lifetime Television courthouse drama, constructed in the artful style of a Sundance drama...
06/26/09
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
Bring lots of tissue. If you don't tear up watching My Sister's Keeper, at least just a little, then your heart is made of stone.
06/26/09
My Sister's Keeper isn't quite a keeper, but it's a sturdy melodrama that earns those copious tears.
06/26/09
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. 
More...
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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