There's two films that get me each and every time I watch them without fail - one is 2002's under appreciated "A Walk To Remember", and the other is 2004's "The Notebook" - which is a film you just have to have seen to truly understand why it has such a dedicated following - and from his time Directing "The Notebook", it was obvious that Nick Cassavetes knew a thing or two about putting together a good cast - and he damn well knew how to frame a bona fide tear-jerker of a movie.   Happily (odd choice of a description or not) Cassavetes has continued that trend into "My Sister's Keeper", which is an incredibly emotional, and absolutely beautiful movie, about a family struggling to stay together through a young woman's bout with Cancer.

Abigail Breslin ("Definitely Maybe") & Sofia Vassilieva ("Medium") play as Anna & Kate Fitzgerald respectively - Kate has Leukemia, and it's very apparent early on in the piece that she is in desperate need of help in her fight for life.  In this case however, Kate's parents Sara (Cameron Diaz) & Brian (Jason Patric) have genetically engineered their youngest daughter Anna in an attempt to provide the perfect "bank" of blood donations, Bone Marrow transplants & a fresh Kidney all in a bid to extend Kate's life as much as possible, and hopefully to put the Cancer in remission - and during all of this other turmoil, their brother Jesse (Evan Ellingson) is suffering from his own problems as he copes with Dyslexia, and an increasing sense of isolation from his family.   The hospital visits and painful treatments come to a sudden end however, when Anna employs the legal services of Campbell Alexander (Alec Baldwin) to "medically emancipate" herself from her parents - which if she were to be successful - would almost certainly be the last piece of hope for her sister.

The story of "My Sister's Keeper" is told via flashbacks from almost all of the main players here - and good grief - let me tell you right now, it's an emotional wrecking ball of a film - it will hit you every which way in terms of pure happiness & sadness along with all the spectrums in between - but like the aforementioned "Walk" & "The Notebook", it's a journey you'll be very glad you took.

I have to admit that I have not read the novel the film is based on by Jodi Picoult prior to seeing the movie, but honestly - If I had half the reaction to the book as I had to seeing it played out on the big screen, it's probably best that I stay away from the written pages, but I'm assured that the screenplay by Jeremy Leven & Cassavetes has done the book justice, with only a few minor changes, which should keep fans of the novel satisfied.

The true success of this movie rides with the incredible cast, who have truly shone through in many ways - I've been a fan of Jason Patric ever since "The Lost Boys", and his very understated portrayal of Brian as a father torn between his love for all of his children is a very quiet, yet powerful performance.  The main supporting cast of Heather Wahlquist as Aunt Kelly (in a small, but central role), Joan Cusack as the presiding Judge of the hearings (and as a quick aside, it's great to see Cusack take on a meatier-than-normal role here) & Thomas Dekker as Taylor Ambrose also deserve special mentions - Dekker in particular stands out here as a fellow Cancer sufferer that strikes up a relationship with Kate - and aside from the obvious physical requirements of the role, he shows a range here that is beyond what he has shown in his previous roles on "Heroes" & "The Sarah Connor Chronicles", and leaves you anticipating what he will do next.  Also fully deserving of praise, is Evan Ellingson as the overlooked child of the family, Jesse - he has a few moments to shine in the movie as an outsider struggling to keep himself involved with his family, but yet distance himself from their problems at the same time - his relationship as it is portrayed with Vassilieva in particular rings beautifully true.

Alec Baldwin is another actor who I've always really loved in movies - he was great as the leading man, back in the days of "Beetlejuice" or "The Hunt For Red October", but I feel personally, since he's made the transition to these fantastic supporting roles in films such as "The Departed" & "The Aviator", through to his work in "30 Rock" - he's really established himself as a wonderful character actor, and his role as the "TV Famous" Campbell Alexander is another great turn which is a real slow burner - you don't get the real scope of the character until near the end, and it makes you appreciate the smaller nuances all the more.

Abigail Breslin is a fine actress - I don't think that's in dispute by anybody, especially after her performances in films like "Little Miss Sunshine" & "Definitely, Maybe" - and she hits all the key emotions here, playing the part of the "other" daughter with grace and real passion in her portrayal of a young woman desperate to help her sister keep alive, but being fully aware of the limitations that it will place on her own life & longevity should she continue to act as a "spare parts machine".    Cameron Diaz........ well, I have to be frank and admit that I'm not a fan of the movies that she typically makes - there are 3 favorites of mine she is in - "She's The One", "The Last Supper" & "A Life Less Ordinary", however, all three of those are over a decade old at this point - but I'm happy to say that she gives a beautiful performance as Sara, and in fact, I would say that this is without a doubt her best performance yet, she has a few key scenes which she delivers in such a spot-on way, that she will break your heart - it's the kind of role that would be very easy to overdo in the hands of a less capable actor, but to my genuine pleasure, Cameron takes the role and she makes it her own in every way.   Finally, Sofia Vassilieva - I mean, words really do fail me here.  An amazing, incredible, heart-wrenching performance from such a relative newcomer is so rare to witness, that it truly stuns you in the courage & dignity that she brings to the role.

It's such a shame that a film like "My Sister's Keeper" is rarely given the recognition that it deserves - much like "The Notebook", I think the work here will go unappreciated by the powers that be, and like that omission, it would be horrible to see Sofia's work overlooked - it really has to be seen to be believed, and she fully deserves every bit of praise that she receives.   OK - enough gushing like the lady I appear to be - I'm fully aware that 'My Sister's Keeper" is a film specifically designed to elicit an emotional response, and good grief it certainly succeeds. However, that type of response wouldn't happen unless it all gelled together in the right away - if the acting was terrible, and the script was woeful, I doubt very much that I'd care for the characters in this, or any movie - but you'll have to take my advice that not only is this a truly beautiful film full of wonderful performances - but I firmly believe you will remember this one with the same fondness of a film like "The Notebook" without hesitation.