Customer Reviews

Marvin's Room (Widescreen)

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Taken from a play by Scott McPherson, "Marvin's Room" at first seems like it might be a dreary tear jerker of a drama. But wait, there is a dream cast involved and somewhat maudlin scenarios turn out to be sheer delights. Imagine a film with Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Robert DeNiro, Leonard DiCaprio and Hugh Cronyn and you cannot go wrong. Keaton is taking care of her long failing father (Cronyn) when she discovers she has leukemia. She contacts her long estranged 'beauty school graduate' sister (Streep) and pyromaniac nephew (DiCaprio) as possible donors. When the families unite in Florida, it's a flurry of funny, hard-nosed and real life dialogue. All cast members are at their best and Streep and Keaton juxtaposed as sisters is amazing. DeNiro plays Keaton's scatter-brained doctor and he is priceless. There's strong warmth and reality in this film and despite the occasional tear, the ultimate feeling is happiness. This movie is a keeper.

This movie is based on Scott McPherson's off - Broadway play. It has been turned into a wonderful little movie. A movie that is sort of one of those lost gems. Meryl Streep heads an impeccable all star cast as a woman who comes back in contact with her long estranged sister, played by Diane Keaton. Keaton's character has been taking care of her and Streep's very old and very ill father(played so realistically by Hume Cronyn). Keaton's character then finds out that she has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. The only donors that can help are Meryl and her wayward kids(headed by the solid Leonardo DiCaprio). Meryl and the kids head down to Florida where Keaton is and, well, they bring along some of their own little dysfunction. The movie is sad, but not in the ball your eyes out way. It avoids the usual scenes of death beds and a huge dying scene. None of that is here. The movie is about the family, and the two estranged sisters coming together. Not to mention Meryl's character coming to terms with her son Hank(Leo). The film definitley hits some emotional highs, but it's not, as I've said above, the usual way we've seen it a hundred times before. Robert De Niro appears in a fairly small role as Keaton's character. He also co-produced the film. Our main stars here all shine brightly. Keaton is great, as always. Meryl and Leo makes their characters believeable, if not very sympathetic. In the end, it's Keaton who shines the brightest. Marvin's Room is a nice family drama that was horribly overlooked and forgotten by most people. Give it a chance.

Kindly Bessie (Diane Keaton) has devoted her life to caring for her ailing father with no help from her estranged sister, Lee (Meryl Streep), the black sheep of the family. But now, Bessie is gravely ill and needs Lee's help.

I usually don't care for Diane Keaton's acting, but I did like her in this role. She plays an utterly selfless woman who could easily have been cloying, but was instead, quite sympathetic and noble. Streep does her usual expert job, playing a woman who won't win any Mother of the Year awards. And DiCaprio, looking very young a year before Titanic, steals all his scenes as a dangerous teen who hates his mother so much he burns down the house.

This is a poignant look at illness and dying through the eyes of three very different characters. I was sorry it ended so abruptly without resolving the story, but that makes it feel even more real. This is a movie I'll want to watch again when I'm feeling blue; it will help me keep things in perspective and remind me what's really important.

Ce film est un film tellement humain. L'histoire est vraiment touchante et pogne au coeur. Je regarde ce film très souvent car il m'aide à me rappeller les vraies valeurs de la vie.La brochette d'acteur est génial. Ils sont tous excellent. J'adore ce film et c'est un de mes préférés.

Instead of the usual over-the-top heavy-sentiment scenes in a dysfunctional family, Marvin's Room finds a clever, non-contrived way to end by leaving its characters at a magical moment of mutual understanding. It is one of the most powerful endings I've ever seen in a film.

Greatly acted by almost everyone (including a very young Leonardo Di Caprio), great score, excellent screenplay, a tinge of wry humor through it all, and gutwrenching emotion.

I picked up the DVD for Streep, and found her character a little one-dimensional. But when I really think of it, the most remarkable thing about the film is how it reveals how similar the two sisters are, despite their non-trivial character differences. Both abandon one part of their family to sacrifice for another part -- they each merely take different parts, and that's why Lee's character is not as bad, selfish or one-dimensional as she first seems. Lee's problem was understanding love. Despite all her lovers, Lee (Streep) had to learn the real meaning of love from her spinster sister Bessie (Keaton).

Worth buying, as anyone with a heartbeat will watch this gem more than once. Highly recommended.

Close to a perfect movie as you can get. Instead of the usual over-the-top heavy-sentiment scenes in a dysfunctional family, Marvin's Room finds a clever, non-contrived way to end by leaving its characters at a magical moment of mutual understanding. It is one of the most powerful endings I've ever seen in a film.

Greatly acted by almost everyone (including a very young Leonardo Di Caprio), great score, excellent screenplay, a tinge of wry humor through it all, and gutwrenching emotion.

I picked up the DVD for Streep, and found her character a little one-dimensional. But when I really think of it, the most remarkable thing about the film is how it reveals how similar the two sisters are, despite their non-trivial character differences. Both abandon one part of their family to sacrifice for another part -- they each merely take different parts, and that's why Lee's character is not as bad, selfish or one-dimensional as she first seems. Lee's problem was understanding love. Despite all her lovers, Lee (Streep) had to learn the real meaning of love from her spinster sister Bessie (Keaton).

Worth buying, as anyone with a heartbeat will watch this gem more than once. Highly recommended.

Just a few minutes ago, I was watching this uniquely directed movie. I was deeply touched, from the bottom of my heart. I always admired Diane Keaton, she is such a revolutionary to the acting world. It made me cry, but with a hint of spunk. This movie truly shows, that people can change.. and we do need kindness in this world, probably more of it. I love this movie, I can wait till I get the DVD!

"Marvin's Room" is a great movie to watch with the whole family. This drama has many emotional scenes which explore the meaning of life vs. death and the meaning of love. It proves the importance of family because one never knows when a loved one is needed. Diane Keaton's Oscar nominated performance as a leukemia patient creates the movie's foundation. Her quest for a bone marrow transplant creates many twists and turns throughout the whole movie. Leonardo DiCaprio's performance as a rebellious teenager inflicts most of them to the audience. Everyone knows Meryl Streep performs only at her best. "Marvin's Room" is no exception. The cast and crew's help in creating this wonderful movie leads the audience to a surprising conclusion that one is forced to think about the outcome. There's a reason the writers did this, and the viewer must think about why. Hint: it may reflect real life.

"Marvin's Room" is not only a wonderful movie that has both comedy and drama, but it has an excellent cast. I was very surprised that it wasn't nominated for Best Picture at the Oscar's. Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep shine as two sisters who have not seen each other in twenty years. Their bond is very easy to relate to. And then you have Leonardo DiCaprio (beofre "Titanic"). He is wonderful as Hank, the older son of Lee (Streep). You can tell that he wants attention, mainly from his mother who has her sights set on other things. Bessie (Keaton), in a very moving and loving way shows Hank that he is loved, by his mother and by herself. I thought that the car-ride by the water was wonderful. It showed the two of them bonding, which is what they do more and more as the film progresses.

Gwen Verdon is wonderful as the absent-minded Aunt Ruth who really brings a lot of comedy into the movie. Hume Cronin was simply wonderful, even though he didn't have any actual speaking lines, his actions throughout the movie seem to bring the disfunctional family together. Robert DiNero plays the very kind Dr. Wally who also brings a sweetness into the film. But the person who, in my opnion, really shines in this film is Diane Keaton. She has a rare talent and it definitely shows in this movie. The ending was so wonderful as well. I am glad that they ended on a positive note instead of a sad one. My advice: Rent this movie!!!!!

Dying, aging and dysfunctional famlies are subjects that do not prompt much laughter, but "Marvin's Room" a film, based on the stage play of the same title, manages to mine together those issues along with discussion of sibling rivarly, love and friendship, and the end result is a lovely film, low on schmaltz and sacharine, and high on intelligence and class.
Streep and Keaton play sisters who have been alienated for much of their adult lives, and are reunited when Keaton's Bess is in need of a bone-marrow donation. Streep's Lee comes with her children, and is also reunited with her father, Marvin (a stunning Hume Cronyn), and dotty aunt (a glittering Gwen Verdon). Leonardo DiCaprio (pre-TITANIC) plays Lee's rebellious surly teenaged son. DiCaprio one of Hollywood's brightest, but most unused talents gives a performance of vulnerability, passion and beauty that one can't help but make favorable comparisons to James Dean or Montgomery Clift. Streep is predictably good-though she doesn't seem to connect to her character, as well as her co-stars do. Keaton does the near-impossible in this film-she steals it from Streep. Her Bess is not saint, but Keaton manages to glow, regardless. Actually both DiCaprio and Keaton outshine Streep. Their chemistry is beautiful. Keaton's appearence is stunning because, while attractive, she allows herself to be transformed into a dowdy Florida hausfrau. Ravaged by illness, age and weary, Keaton looks as if Annie Hall went through a hell of a mid-life crisis. Yet, by the end, when the genuine goodness of Bess shines through, and the viewers realize that Bess feels lucky that she was able to take care of her bed-ridden father, Keaton becomes beautiful.
Robert DeNiro has an amusing bit part as a forgetful doctor in one of the film's many amusing comic reliefs.