From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

'My Sister's Keeper' a let down for Picoult fans

My Sister's Keeper opens June 26 Rated: PG-13

Candace Phillips
University School

June 25 2009

My Sister's Keeper is great film for those who have not read the original book, but it delivered a severe disappointment for Jodi Picoult fans.

Based on the best-selling novel by Picoult, My Sister's Keeper portrays the story of a child with leukemia through her family’s varying views and personal struggles.

Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) provided another solid performance as Anna Fitzgerald, the "designer baby" of Sara and Brian Fitzgerald.

Unlike most children, Anna was brought into the world for a specific purpose. She was conceived through in vitro fertilization to be a perfect genetic match for her older sister, Kate, played by Sofia Vassilieva (Eloise at Christmas), who has leukemia.

Anna’s was produced to be able to donate blood cells, bone marrow and, eventually, organs in attempt to save Kate's life.

Since her birth, Anna has undergone procedures to give parts of her body to keep her sister alive. And after 11 years of undergoing the procedures, Anna sues her parents for medical emancipation, or the rights to her own body.

The decision Anna and Kate's overbearing mother, Sara (Cameron Diaz), makes to engineer Anna proves her determination to do absolutely anything to save Kate from dying, even though it may not benefit everybody in her family.

The cast also includes heart-wrenching performances by Alec Baldwin as Campbell Alexander, the lawyer who helps Anna sue her parents.

Brian Fitzgerald ( Jason Patric) plays Anna and Kate's father who tries to keep his family together but is often swayed by Sara’s over-powering opinions.

While there was not a single dry eye in the theater, the film was an overall letdown. A weak performance by Cameron Diaz coupled with major disparities between the book and the movie left many viewers upset with the overall outcome of the movie.