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      Marvin's Room

      PG-13 Released Dec 18, 1996 1 hr. 38 min. Drama List
      84% 50 Reviews Tomatometer 63% 10,000+ Ratings Audience Score Bessie (Diane Keaton) and Lee (Meryl Streep) are sisters who have remained apart for nearly 20 years due to radically different personalities and life paths. Bessie remained in Florida to care for their ill, bed-ridden father (Hume Cronyn), and Lee moved to Ohio to marry and have a family. But Bessie's doctor (Robert De Niro) has informed her she has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. Bessie's prognosis and Lee's troubled son (Leonardo DiCaprio) create an unexpected family reunion. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Dec 13 Buy Now

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      Marvin's Room

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      Critics Consensus

      Marvin's Room rises above the pack of dysfunctional family dramas thanks to an impeccable cast that includes Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, and Leonardo DiCaprio.

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      Audience Reviews

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      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 out of 5 stars 02/19/24 Full Review Mateusz C Emotional movie about some familly problems featuring young DiCaprio 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 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 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 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Excellent acting. Heartfelt story. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (50) Critics Reviews
      David Ansen Newsweek Zaks knows enough not to get in the way of his three superb stars, who put on a display of emotional fireworks that is lovely to behold. Mar 2, 2018 Full Review Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Rated: B Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Lisa Alspector Chicago Reader The performances are overwhelmed by cinematography so gorgeous and distracting it makes the drama seem like just so much wheel spinning. Feb 8, 2010 Full Review Austin Kennedy Film Geek Central Great work from Dicaprio, De Niro, and especially Streep certainly make the film watchable, but it still can't save it from feeling like a TV movie of the week. If you're a fan of melodrama... and over 60, then you'll find much to like. Rated: 2.5/4 May 2, 2013 Full Review TV Guide Keaton is given a rare opportunity here to remind us that she's not simply a fine comedienne, and she's marvelous. Rated: 3/4 Feb 8, 2010 Full Review Film4 At times attractive, at other times dull. Feb 8, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Bessie (Diane Keaton) and Lee (Meryl Streep) are sisters who have remained apart for nearly 20 years due to radically different personalities and life paths. Bessie remained in Florida to care for their ill, bed-ridden father (Hume Cronyn), and Lee moved to Ohio to marry and have a family. But Bessie's doctor (Robert De Niro) has informed her she has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. Bessie's prognosis and Lee's troubled son (Leonardo DiCaprio) create an unexpected family reunion.
      Director
      Jerry Zaks
      Executive Producer
      Tod Scott Brody, Lori Steinberg
      Screenwriter
      Scott McPherson
      Distributor
      Miramax Films
      Production Co
      Scott Rudin Productions, Tribeca Productions
      Rating
      PG-13
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Dec 18, 1996, Original
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Oct 8, 2016
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $12.8M
      Sound Mix
      Surround
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