| Overall Grade: |
B |
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| Story: |
B |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
B- |
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| Visuals: |
B |
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Not perfect, but sweet.
by Adinah (movies profile)
Oct 11, 2007
9
of
11 people found this review helpful
Although I enjoyed the movie, somehow I feel a movie about the trials and joys of sisterhood could have been done more effectively.
The strength of the story is in the characters, not the plotline, which is typical- two sisters, totally opposite, have a huge fight, but in the end realize they can't live without each other. That being said, with such a stale storyline, what keeps it alive in the novel is that the characters are so well-developed. The movie lacks that development. Therefore, in places, it just left me empty.
Unlike in the novel, Maggie (Diaz), the hot, stylish, fun sister was not a likeable character. There was little mention of her learning disabilities, so she just came across as airheaded and incompetent. Even Rose (Collette), whom the novel is centered on, is unlikeable; impatient and hot-headed. Without a sister to root for, how can you really root for the movie?
The main problem is that the beginning of the film did not spend enough time developing their bond, their love for each other. We hear their backstory in snippets later- after the big falling out- but it's too late. If I had not read the book, I would have been scratching my head, wondering why they made such a big deal about making up, when they never seemed that close to begin with.
Even still, the movie has its sweet moments. Rose meeting her grandmother (MacLaine), Simon's proposal, Maggie becoming a reader. However, it stops short of being an excellent movie because even some of the strongest actors in Hollywood can't fill in for a badly adapted screenplay.
Save it for a video night with your sister. |
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