The Other Sister (1999)

A mentally retarded girl proves herself to be every bit as capable as her "perfect" sister when she moves into an apartment and begins going to college.

Director:

Garry Marshall

Writers:

Alexandra Rose (story), Blair Richwood (story),

Stars:

Juliette Lewis, Diane Keaton, Tom Skerritt

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Juliette Lewis	...	Carla Tate
Diane Keaton	...	Elizabeth Tate
Tom Skerritt	...	Dr. Radley Tate
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Daniel McMann
Poppy Montgomery	...	Caroline Tate
Sarah Paulson	...	Heather Tate
Linda Thorson	...	Drew Evanson
Joe Flanigan	...	Jeff Reed
Juliet Mills	...	Winnie the Maid
Tracy Reiner	...	Michelle
Hope Alexander-Willis	...	Marge
Harvey Miller	...	Dr. Johnson
Hector Elizondo	...	Ernie
Almayvonne	...	Rachel - Tech School (as Alma Yvonne)
Marvin Braverman	...	Uncle Sam Teacher - Tech School

Storyline

When Carla Tate, now a young woman, is 'graduated' out of the training school where she has resided for many years because she is mentally challenged, her hope is that she will be accepted for all that she can now do for herself. But Carla's family is wealthy which permits her mother, already blinded to her daughter's rather high-functioning abilities, to try and provide for Carla beyond her needs or desires, bringing forth the inevitable confrontations... for what Carla may lack in mental ability she certainly makes up for in her insistence on being independent, even to living in her own apartment. But if this isn't enough, into the mix comes a young man, equally challenged mentally, who moves Carla beyond anyone's control...

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Plot Keywords:

apartment | wedding | family relationships | independence | love | 

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Taglines:

A love story for the romantically challenged.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements involving sex related material

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 February 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aprendiendo a vivir

Filming Locations:

All Saint's Episcopal Church - 132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$6,624,445 (USA) (26 February 1999)

Gross:

$27,797,271 (USA) (18 June 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mandeville Films, Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Juliette Lewis was just out of rehab when Marshall cast her. The insurance company for the film didn't want to insure her, so Marshall put up the money himself.

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Goofs

Carla's skirt is different when she ask the bus driver which bus to take and when she gets off the bus.

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Quotes

Carla Tate: Have you ever done it before?
Daniel McMann: Well, yeah, kind of. You see the guys at work, they chipped in and they found this girl and she had a reputation. There was a lot of kissing and hugging and a lot of rubbing, and I kind of finished before I was supposed to. You have to be a guy to understand that.

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Connections

Features The Graduate (1967)

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Soundtracks

"O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum"
Traditional
Lyrics by Ernst Anschütz (uncredited) and August Zarnack (uncredited)
Arranged by Sidney James

User Reviews

Outstanding!!!

AS a brother of an mentally challenged sister, this movie captures my heart. The innocence and honesty the movie presents through out the film is outstanding. I have been to many functions involving mentally challenged kids and adults from Christmas parties to the Special Olympics. As a volunteer at these events I can speak from experience, that the true feelings were caught in this movie. If you ever lose the Christmas spirit, go to a Christmas event for the mentally challenged. You'll find it there and what the true meaning of the holiday spirit really is. The anticipation of Santa popping through the curtains, just to see his face. The gifts are secondary. The Special Olympics are a true test of the will to compete..NOT WIN. Everybody is a winner at these Olympics. It is the most evened playing field in all of sports. In ability and in the true manner and meaning of what sportsmanship really is.

The Other sister captures the very true to the core daily lives of mentally challenged individuals. From the emotional outbreaks to the highest of enjoyment of a special moment, to the acceptance by others, to the point of "yes i can if you give me a chance Mother". My sister is living on her own with a roommate and works at Opportunity Enterprises for a living. Leading not only a very normal life, but a far productive environment that wasn't available many years ago. They see things in an honest way. The very things we complain about daily are the same things they wish to be given a chance to have. The portrayal of both Daniel and Carla is just tremendous acting. You just don't throw that together and say cut and print and release this movie. Dustin Hoffman studied for over a year for rain man with savant families. Producers were'nt sure that movie would ever be made because of the tender care Dustin Hoffman had to portray. The Other Sister is a tremendous movie about all the true features that mentally challenged people face and strive for in every day life. We should watch and learn from them. They see life for what it is, things we have forgotten in our material world. Kudos Gary Marshal for this wonderful film. I remember those times, and look forward to the continuing journey.