The Other Sister (1999)

A mentally challenged young woman seeks independence by obtaining her own apartment and attending college while her family plans her sister's wedding.

Director:

Garry Marshall

Writers:

Alexandra Rose (story), Blair Richwood (story)

Stars:

Juliette Lewis, Diane Keaton, Giovanni Ribisi

2 nominations.

Cast

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

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 | overprotective mother | mentally challenged man | mentally challenged woman | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Danny and Carla's last names are the same as the firm Darrin worked for on the classic sitcom Bewitched (1964): McMann and Tate.

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Goofs

The first time Carla goes to Daniel's apartment and Ernie hands him the check from his father, the check disappears and reappears between shots.

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Quotes

Elizabeth: I feel like I'm the mother of a dedicated underachiever, a gay workaholic, and Carla, who thinks she can conquer this whole terrifying world that we live in.
Dr. Radley Tate: Honey, you're doing fine. They're not drug addicts. They're not axe murderers. They're not *Democrats.*

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Connections

Referenced in Drawn Together: The Other Cousin (2004)

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Soundtracks

Temptation
Written by Bernard Sumner, Gillian Gilbert (as Gillian Filbert), Peter Hook and Stephen Morris
Published by Bemusic administered by WB Music Corp.
Performed by New Order
Courtesy of London Records 90 Ltd.
Under license from Universal Music Special Markets

User Reviews

Bring a whole box of Kleenex!

I am not a big movie crybaby kind of person, but this movie really had me going! Not that it was sad, but poignant. I was fully captivated by the complex characters. No one was "good" or "bad," they were all just trying to find their ways through their lives the best they could. It was hard to know how they would react in each situation because they were more true-to-life than we are used to. I haven't been this emotionally involved in a movie for a long time.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 February 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Other Sister

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,624,445, 28 February 1999

Gross USA:

$27,807,627

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$27,807,627

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mandeville Films, Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1