My Sister's Keeper (2002)

Two sisters take a journey of discovery and reconciliation based on the memoirs of Margaret Moorman. Christine has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and must rely on others for support even... See full summary »

Director:

Ron Lagomarsino

Writers:

Susan Tarr (teleplay), Margaret Moorman (book)

Stars:

Kathy Bates, Elizabeth Perkins, Clark Gregg

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kathy Bates	...	Christine Chapman
Elizabeth Perkins	...	Judy Chapman
Clark Gregg	...	Harvey
Kathleen Wilhoite	...	Mona
Kimberly J. Brown	...	Young Christine Chapman
Hallee Hirsh	...	Young Judy Chapman
Lynn Redgrave	...	Helen Margaret Chapman
Ann Cusack	...	Grace (as Ann Cusak)
Nicole Sullivan	...	Alissa
Tony Amendola	...	Dr. Bartonio
Dylan Kussman	...	Leon
Alyson Reed	...	Mother Superior
Jascha Washington	...	Earl
Lily Knight	...	Barbara
Geoffrey Rivas	...	Jay

Storyline

Two sisters take a journey of discovery and reconciliation based on the memoirs of Margaret Moorman. Christine has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and must rely on others for support even though she longs for an independent and ordinary life. When her mother dies, her sister Judy becomes responsible for her care. The two are left to face the struggles of finding common ground.

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Plot Keywords:

woman wears eyeglasses | first person title | justice of the peace | catholic priest | priest | 

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Taglines:

Growing apart. Growing together. Sisters are forever.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The family name "Chapman" was inspired by the real last name of a good friend of the woman who Christine Chapman was based on.

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Connections

Edited into Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951)

User Reviews

Difficult to Watch

OK, the title of this review may be a bit misleading. I titled it as such because this film hits me so close to home, but in my case it would be My Brother's Keeper. There are so many scenes in this film that parallel very closely or often exactly the situations my spouse and I have been dealing with for the last 25 or more years it made watching this film almost an additional helping of our reality. The rollercoaster ride from lucid to delusional, the resentment, the heaping of guilt, the unknowing of what you are going to get from one conversation to the next, I could go on and on.

A couple of complaints I will lodge probably reflect more on our situation than the film. First the portrayal of the social worker involvement was somewhat overdone or maybe that was nearer to the experience they were trying to reflect. We also thought the ratio of lucid to delusional was skewed to heavily toward lucid. Finally even though Kathy Bates handled the back and forth required to play this role, I thought she spoke a little to quickly to be a believable schizo-affective/bipolar person. In our experiences many persons affected with these disorders are deliberate and look at you while they process the conversation and then communicate their thoughts. Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys they are not.

This film just scratches the surface of dealing with a family member with a mental illness, but it does so without being too depressing.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hallmark Hall of Fame: My Sister's Keeper (#51.3)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3