Christina Reviews *The Other Sister*

         The Other Sister is about a woman (Diane Keaton) who smothers her mentally handicapped daughter.  The daughter, Carla (Juliette Lewis), is about 18 years old and she has just returned home from school.  She’s ready for some “independence” and to be treated with “dignity.”  The problem is that Mrs. Tate does not much like the idea of her daughter having dignity and independence and this causes conflict between the two of them.
         When Carla meets a young man (Giovanni Ribisi) who is a lot like her, the two fall in love.  So this is also a treacly love story with the message that no matter who you are, there’s the perfect person out there waiting for you.  As soon as Carla and Daniel fall in love, there’s no obstacle big enough to get them down for long.

        I have this theory that Juliette Lewis was so impressed by Leonardo DiCaprio’s acting in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape that she thought to herself, I can do that.

      Can Lewis play mentally challenged?  She certainly can.  She’s been doing it for her entire career in one way or another.  And usually she manages to do it well.  But in The Other Sister, it didn't come across as character acting.  It came across as a bit insensitive and patronizing to those like Carla.  I felt bad laughing at the funny parts because I couldn’t help but feel that they were at the characters’ expense.  There was this one montage to the song “She Drives Me Crazy” that pretty much sets the tone for the entire film.  That’s what this movie is all about, didn’t you know?  Carla drives everyone crazy, but they just can’t help themselves.  The world just wouldn’t be the same if Carla wasn’t around to make a scene.

        I want to add that the mother also has a lesbian daughter.  The lesbian daughter has a partner, but you would hardly know since “Michelle” is given such little screen time.  All we see of her is her bra-strapped back as the two are lying in bed.  The mother, by her own account, is very generous toward gay causes, but she inexplicably cannot tolerate her daughter’s sexual preference.  And it isn’t even as if there’s some nuanced reason given for her ill will.  Maybe we’re just not supposed to like the mother. Maybe there’s no reason for her behavior other than that.


        I admire the fact that there are people out there who want to tell the world what it’s like for those who are different.  But this is not the right movie to do that.