Tuesday, March 2, 1999
Predictable characters, script weaken ‘Sister’
FILM: Outstanding performances by Juliette Lewis, Giovanni
Ribisi brighten otherwise banal movie
By Adam Tolbert
Daily Bruin Contributor
Films about the mentally challenged have enormous possibilities,
both comically and dramatically. Past box-office successes such as
"Rain Man" and "Forrest Gump" used the idiosycracies of their
protagonists to endear them to the audience. Unfortunately, Garry
Marshall’s new film, "The Other Sister," relies on typical
Hollywood-style storytelling complete with banal dialogue and an
all-too-perfect, uplifting ending.
The film is being advertised as a love story, but, as the title
implies, this movie also deals with the family tensions that arise
from having a retarded relative. Marshall has trouble balancing
these two big issues, and in the end, he doesn’t fully explore
either of them. The film is over two hours long, and yet it still
isn’t enough time to justify the actions of the characters. There
are times in the movie when characters’ feelings change on a whim,
with no explanation of what caused the sudden change of heart.
The film’s first shot features a brightly colored fish swimming
in a bowl. The image is intended as a metaphor for Carla (Juliette
Lewis) and her sheltered life in a special education boarding
school. The fish image is used repeatedly throughout the film to
emphasize Carla’s naivete and ignorance of the world around her.
It’s an image that also mirrors the lack of individuality and
detail in the script. Marshall and his team of writers never let
Carla out of that metaphorical bowl by depriving her character of
unique, personal characteristics. They put her in potentially funny
or touching situations, but fail to deliver any dialogue that
ventures beyond sitcom depth.
When Carla returns home after being away for 10 years, she’s
intent on asserting her own identity and individuality. What’s
disappointing is that the script does a better job of asserting the
identities of Carla’s detached and self-absorbed family. Marshall
includes the overbearing mother (Diane Keaton), the recovering
alcoholic father (Tom Skerrit), and even a lesbian sister in his
list of stereotyped ’90s characters. Keaton and Skerrit do a good
job of expressing upper-class social convention and how that
interferes with their understanding of their daughter. The contrast
between their world and that of their daughter’s forms the basis of
the movie’s conflict. Like every other aspect of the film, though,
it is not fully developed enough in the script.
Lewis and Giovanni Ribisi, as a mentally challenged guy who
becomes romantically interested in Carla, do manage to squeeze a
few laughs out of the limp script with their mannered,
body-oriented performances. Their acting makes sure that the
audience laughs with the characters rather than at them. Lewis,
Ribisi and Marshall handle the love scene with compassion and
humor. It’s the one scene that Marshall gets right. He finally
gives the characters the dignity they deserve by showing that his
characters are not disabled when giving love. The curiosity and
excitement that the characters feel is universal, and that seems to
be Marshall’s ultimate point.
"The Other Sister" is essentially a family film, and perhaps
that is why Marshall doesn’t stray from the predictable. The plot
is interesting, the performances are excellent, and the sentiment
is sincere. Unfortunately, Marshall and his team of writers weren’t
willing to take any chances with their unique protagonist. Had they
explored the possibilities of their character more fully, they
could have helped her escape that metaphorical fish bowl. Photo
courtesy of Touchstone Pictures
Juliette Lewis plays Carla Tate, who struggles for her family’s
acceptance of her boyfriend Danny (Giovanni Ribisi), in "The Other
Sister."
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