Marvin's Room

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KB B This was such a compelling movie with great acting and storyline. I'd never heard of this one but I'm so glad I watched it. There are some intense scenes and it is a tearjerker. Meryl Streep was superb as usual and I was very impressed with Diane Keaton as well. It's definitely worth the watch. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/14/24 Full Review Gertrude F Amazing. Considering its definitely not funny themes, this movie was not what I'd thought it would feel like. Man, those jokes really worked on me- subtle, but just so clever and hilarious. The humour, like the rest of movie relies on Meryl Streep to work. Her performance was brilliant- sassy, painfully true, and yeah, funny. If I had to use one word to describe Marvin's Room, it would be heartwarming. This movie doesn't fall into the usual tear-jerker cliches. It goes beyond that. The ending was not what I so confidently thought it would be. It provokes questions about all of us and our familial relationships, what they mean about us, and presents the power of sacrifice. What is a life well lived? Is it Lee's fantasy of a degree, a career, lovers, fun. Or is it Bessie's truth of complete sacrifice for those you love? Marvin's Room ends on a note that favours Bessie's version, but I don't know. Who really does know? Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 05/03/24 Full Review Mateusz C Emotional movie about some familly problems featuring young DiCaprio Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/27/23 Full Review colin m Enjoyable slice-of-life family drama. Small choices with big consequences in a family with a lot of thorns. Good movie. The ending was a bit flat. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Marianne L It was a heartfelt story with really good actors and acting, but it too slow with too much doom-and-gloom for me. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/18/22 Full Review john e My 2022 goal of viewing all movies featuring Meryl Streep continues. This time around the film is Marvin's Room, released in 1996. The story of two sisters who have been estranged for over 20 years. Bessie (Diane Keaton) is single, lives in Florida, and is helping to care for her bedridden father and his aging sister. Lee (Meryl Streep) moved to Ohio, had two children and has worked to be independent with a career in cosmetology. After decades apart, Lee discovers that Bessie has been diagnosed with leukemia (the same disease that took their mother from them) and is in need of a bone marrow transplant. With kids in tow, Bessie heads to Florida and the dysfunction of all the characters is laid bare as they attempt to establish their own sense of family again. The acting is superb. How could it not be? The cast is rounded out with such acting legends as Lionardo DiCaprio as Lee's troublesome son, Robert De Niro as Bessie's unorthodox doctor, Hume Cronyn as the bedridden father, and Gwen Verdon as Aunt Ruth. Diane Keaton was a particular stand-out in this film for me, as she never once employed the cliched "befuddled" technique she often relies on. Keaton was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for this film. The actors are superior to the script, and that helps make the film feel better than it is. While not entirely predictable in its journey, one pretty much knows that the reuniting of family, one way or another, is how things will conclude. The film wraps a beautiful bow on its ending that reminded me very much of Billy Wilder films such as "The Apartment" or "The Lost Weekend" where a tidy ending seems a tad overplayed, and yet the viewer is left wondering... "did it really work out?" and believing that the ending could actually be a wonderful jumping on point for a completely different film. This one was a solid B+ for me. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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