Predictable characters, script weaken 'Sister'

Published: Tuesday, March 2, 1999

Tuesday, March 2, 1999

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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