3/5 I lost sympathy about midway...
  by S. O'Sullivan (USA)
It was all a bit gross looking at this cadaverous, graying, retching child wasting away, suffering at the hands of her mother's obssesive wish to keep her alive on a puppet string. I thought the mother (Cameron Diaz) was mildly sadistic, prolonging her family and her child's suffering (she wasn't supposed to live past age 5 if not for her newborn's sister's organ donations) to the point where I just couldn't root for the mother's cause anymore. Her child was no longer living a real life but ekeing out an existence of misery and physical pain with occassional swathes of happiness as the disease wracked her body way and the mother forced it past its expiration date, threatening the sanity of the rest of the family. And that horrible doctor! He was one of the authors of it all pushing the family to their utmost limits to save a child (without alleviating her pain) who was inevitably bound to die young.

The person who loved best was indeed the baby sister who only did what she did to fulfill her sisters last wishes.

4/5 Fifteen Tissue Film
  by Michele Cozzens (Cloud 8)
I read Jodi Picoult's book, My Sister's Keeper, so I thought I'd be prepared for this film. I wasn't.

A child with leukemia is tough subject matter no matter what format one uses to convey the story. Both the novel and the film had flaws, but neither had the flaw of storytelling. Anyone with an interest in family dynamics and can stomach the truly heart-wrenching drama of how disease interferes with the dream of a perfect family, will find meaning in this film. If the material is too sensitive--too painful--stay away.

The flaw I found in the book was the lack of physical character description. This, by the way, is evident in nearly all the Picoult novels I've read. The film version of My Sister's Keeper, of course, gives one faces and voices. The acting--particularly by Sophia Vassilieva (Kate) and Abigail Breslin (Anna) certainly adds to the poignancy and the story. ** I didn't go through as many tissues while reading.** But overall, I didn't like the adaptation--the indecision on behalf of the writers on whether or not to stick to the individual characters' first-person narratives (as they do in the opening scenes) or to take it to a series of present-day scenario to a series of flashbacks. The ending was also changed.

Overall, even though it's not a film I'd watch again, I'm glad I saw it--especially to put faces on the characters. Bravo to the casting crew.

Michele Cozzens is the author of It's Not Your Mother's Bridge Club.

4/5 One of the few
  by Guy Campeau (Stoneham, Québec Canada)
This is one of the few movie in a year one will remember. Intelligent and profound dialog from the beginning til the end.
Very good acting from Mrs Diaz but aslo by the young actors in this movie. It will touch your heart and raise ethical and moral questions about our everyday life, I just love this movie and recommanded it to anyone,

5/5 Well
  by David L. Cook (Front Royal, VA)
I have not yet watched the movie. Though I have read the book. It was a very important way to look at different siuations that can happen in your life. You have to look at it through different eyes. Please read the book before you put a BS reponse about the movie for I am sure it does not explain like the book does on what is really happening. Written by Judy Picoult. Read it before you judge it.

2/5 2.5, So-So Movie, Book Was Better!
  by Mommabookworm (Ca.)
Why even follow a story from a book if it won't be followed as the book does??!! The movie was poorly done, jumping around from present, to past without a good flow. The story was ok because it did follow the book, at least through a good portion of it. Although, I don't recall Kate and her boyfriend getting naked in the book.

I agree with other reviewers who have read this book, the movie ending sucked! One thing about Picoult's books, they are usually thought provoking. This movie lacked anything causing such a reaction. All it did was play on heart strings.

Glad I didn't waste money at the movies or buying this. Its a rental movie..nothing more.

Read the book!