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 Tate
Diane Keaton	...	Elizabeth Tate
Tom Skerritt	...	Radley Tate
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Danny
Poppy Montgomery	...	Caroline Tate
Sarah Paulson	...	Heather Tate
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 - 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 | independence | overprotective mother | lesbian | 

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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 USA:

$6,624,445, 28 February 1999, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$27,797,271, 20 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:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Juliette Lewis is singing the last song, "Come Rain or Come Shine", at the end of the credit roll.

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Goofs

The minister at Carla's wedding changes when they are on the steps of the church.

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Quotes

Daniel McMann: A-Another reason I got mad is 'cause I didn't want you to think I was dumb.
Carla Tate: I could never think that.

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Connections

References The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986)

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Soundtracks

Battle Hymn of the Republic
Music by William Steffe (uncredited)
Lyrics by Julia Ward Howe (uncredited)

User Reviews

wow!!!!

I thought this was a very beautiful and touching film... I can't remember the last time a movie stirred up so many emotions in me all at the same time as this one did. And you know what? I really couldn't care less if this movie portrayed these type of people the "right" way or not (this *is* a fictional piece of work after all) because I saw the ideology behind the movie instead of just the movie itself.

What I took away with me from this film is that you shouldn't care about what anyone thinks about you, not your mom or your dad or your friends and relatives either, that you should just try and live for the things that you love and enjoy. The way that these two questioned almost everything that was happening to them and listened to their feelings more than their minds made me feel a lot better about the way I think and the way I feel. I love how they aren't burdened by the way they are, they just simply accept it, and I find that beautiful, absolutely uplifting! I've never seen a movie that made me laugh and cry at the same time as many times as this masterpiece did. "Don't be afraid to feel" would be the perfect tagline for this underrated film. Solid story, solid actors.

My favourite line of the whole movie? When Carla tells her mom "We can take care of each other!" Talk about tears! I'm definitely going to try to find this movie and buy it the next time I'm out and about.

By the way, in case you were curious, this was just written by a 24 year old straight male. (I'm not afraid of showing my "feminine side", whatever that means.)

Grade: A+