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With a compelling premise and terrific acting on the one hand, and problematic screenplay adaptation and direction on the other, My Sister's Keeper is a sometimes maddening mix of authentic and inauthentic moments. The subplot of Kate's romance with a fellow cancer patient named Taylor (Thomas Dekker) is a case in point. In the novel, Kate is 16; in the film she is 14. In the novel, Kate and Taylor's relationship culminates in a kiss; in the film they are sexually intimate. Both Dekker and Vassilieva are note-perfect in their portrayal of love blossoming in intensifying conditions. But the casting is problematic: Dekker appears to be so much older than Vassilieva that there is something unintentionally disquieting about their relationship. They wring aching pathos out of their scenes together (and Patric is breathtaking in his portrayal of a conflicted dad watching his fragile daughter embark on her first real date), but the whole plot is marred by slight misfires in screenplay and casting. The frustration of seeing something so close to brilliance just miss the mark is provoked repeatedly by various aspects of the film.

Jason Patric as Sara's husband Brian

Still, contrived or not, sad is sad, and My Sister's Keeper will have all but the most cement-hearted reaching for tissue. And the film aims to be more than a tearjerker, raising hot-button issues like the ethics of genetic engineering and the right to death with dignity. Here again, the movie falls a bit short of its potential, dabbling in Big Ideas mostly as devices to move the plot forward. An ending significantly altered from the novel leaves viewers with some fairly generic conclusions about death being a part of life and some vague notions about the hope of an afterlife. Audiences will be relieved to be thrown a bone of hope after so much sadness, but irritated by the nagging awareness that there could have been—should have been—more.

Talk About It

1. Sara and Brian decided to do whatever it took to try to save their daughter, including genetically engineering another baby. Do you agree with their original decision? Would you make the same choice? Why or why not?
   
   
2. Stem cell engineering often involves the creation of several fetuses, with the intention of using only one. Do you feel this practice is morally acceptable? Why or why not?
   
   
3. Anna concludes: "There's no reason for it, I guess—death's just death—nobody understands it." Compare her conclusions with Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and Philippians 1:21-23. Which take on death do you most resonate with? Why?
   
   
4. Kate's New Age relatives offer her mind-over-matter advice even on her deathbed. Do you know what to say when you visit someone who is sick? What is the best way to approach someone who is suffering? (See Proverbs 25:20.)
   
   

The Family Corner

My Sister's Keeper is rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, some disturbing images, sensuality, language, and brief teen smoking. There is liberal use of strong language, including several instances of cursing with God's name. The effects and complications of cancer are portrayed graphically (for example, Kate is shown more than once vomiting blood) in a manner inappropriate for child viewing. Teen sex is implied, teen smoking is briefly shown.

Photos © New Line Cinema

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