Grimerlana Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Logan Dodd There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

Edison Witt The first must-see film of the year.

Davis P This screen adaptation of the stage play is a very well done one. It's got some of the best acting I've ever seen. Well with Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro how could you not have some of the best acting ever?? Streep plays Lee, a somewhat controlling single mother of two sons. DiCaprio plays Lee's oldest son Hank, a troubled teen who has been admitted into a mental institution for burning their house down. And Keaton plays Bessie, Lee's sister who has recently been diagnosed with leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant to save her life. This is why Lee and her two sons travel back home for the first time in twenty years to stay with Bessie, their bed ridden father, and their eighty something Aunt Ruth. What is so great about this film is that it's all about relationships, mainly it focuses on the sibling relationship between Bessie and Lee, they uncover old 20 year old wounds, and ultimately begin to heal their very broken relationship. The dialogue between characters is wonderfully written, sad and very moving when necessary, and also very beautiful and uplifting at other times. The script really does succeed and the acting lifts up the script so much, and it all combines to make a beautiful film that is worth more than one watch. This is a classic in my opinion, always will be to me. 10/10 for Marvin's Room!

Sherine Yousery This movie was a beautiful source of inspiration in my life. Whenever I'm confused with all the burdens, remembering this movie tells me what to do.The beauty of it is how it shows you the difference between wasting your life with someone, and offering your life to someone. There's a great difference which we tend to sometimes not pay attention to. Diane Keaton "Bessie" shines in one of the brightest scenes I have ever seen in my life, telling her sister how she loved offering her life to her sick father and aunt, and how true love takes different forms and comes in ways we never to expect. Meryl Streep "Lee" on the other hand, succeeds brilliantly in showing us that pursuing our idea of a full free life can be a waste of time, an illusion. Maybe the best things in life aren't about what we think we know. This piece of art is a gem for anyone who likes drama and is interested in learning a real lesson or whoever liked "One True Thing" and other wonderful movies which didn't get the recognition they deserved. The movie is very entertaining, provoking and beautiful although it gets sappy at some parts. An applause to real movies' makers.

mark.waltz There is going to be subtle debate for years as to which leading lady steals this film-Golden Globe Nominee Meryl Streep or Oscar Nominee Diane Keaton, playing unlikely sisters reunited after a long estrangement when Keaton discovers that she has leukemia and may need bone marrow. Streep vanished years before in order to prevent herself from being trapped by taking care of their ailing dad (Hume Cronyn), now bedridden, and suffering from all sorts of malady's including obvious dementia. All he does is groan and mumble, making this a very difficult role to watch the beloved Broadway veteran play.Cronyn's "Cocoon" co-star, Broadway musical diva Gwen Verdon, steals every moment in which she is on screen as his equally ailing sister who has a mechanism implanted in her hip which causes the garage door to either open or close every time she twists it. She's a soap addict who wears a fur and tiara to the wedding of her two favorite characters, played by "All My Children's" Kelly Ripa and John Callahan. Ironically, "All My Children" was the only soap on which Verdon ever appeared. Streep's youngest kid, a bespeckled geek, shows an eerie talent for applying make-up as he prepares Verdon for "the wedding" with subtle hints of what he will grow up to be.The oldest son, Leonardo DiCaprio, obviously despises his mother, and probably for good reason. Streep plays one of her most unsympathetic characters, and at times, doesn't fully seem comfortable playing this role. Even though she's a cosmetology student and very capable as to what she does, she's far too messed up emotionally to always look so physically well put together. Of course, the character is hiding behind a facade of bitterness, so as Streep pulls away these layers, the character becomes a bit more tolerable even though she's often inconsistent.Getting away from the "La Dee Da" attitudes she's inhibited in most of the roles she's played since "Annie Hall", Diane Keaton for me make the film pull out its heart. She has given up her own life and romantic possibilities in order to take care of the pathetic Cronyn (who by the way they talk about him should have died years ago) and the dizzy Verdon, and it is obvious from the time she meets the troubled pyromaniac DiCaprio she wants to make up for lost time in getting to know her nephew. When he angrily smacks her hand away from his face during a light caress, you can see her invisible tears flowing, and it is heartbreaking. However, joy takes over when they bond with a wild ride on the beach, and even the lost child DiCaprio plays seems to return to humanity as his heart opens to the aunt he hadn't met until recently.DiCaprio is a tough nut to crack here, showing an iron shield for long periods of time interrupted by the bleeding little boy inside, not understanding the resentments of his maternal family and aching for his unseen father, a race car driver who abandoned his mother years before. So while this is a very tough film to like, especially when it interrupts the family drama with the presence of the befuddled doctor played by Robert DeNiro, and his idiotic brother (Dan Heydara) who works as his receptionist (after the regular receptionists resigns simply by typing a note which says "I Quit!"), there's some truth in its dissection of the fall of families over the past few decades and how dysfunctions of earlier generations can carry on to the next.

Conork2 I came across this movie on Netflix and thought I would give it a go! Surely a movie with Meryl Streep and Dianne Keaton wouldn't disappoint! It sure didn't! While the story has been done before in various formats it's the screenplay that makes this movie a real gem. The main three actors really do a great job. But with Streep, Keaton and DiCaprio one would expect nothing less. For me the the late Gwen Verdon steals the show. she really shows how comedy should be done. The scene with the orange is one that stands out. A mixture of comedy and heart wrenching reality showcases how underrated she has been. This for me should have definitely gained a nod in any supporting actress awards. This movie certainly won't change your life but it really does provide you with food for though about love, family and the importance of life! Give it a go. It won't disappoint.