"Marvin's Room" is undoubtedly a solid film that slipped through the cracks during the slough of great films of the mid 90s, getting overlooked in 1996 by "Fargo" and "The English Patient" among a few others. It's sole recognition was an academy award nomination for best actress for Diane Keaton.
Keaton stars as Bessie, a middle-aged woman who has spent her entire life taking care of her father Marvin and Aunt Ruth who both are not mentally sound, who has discovered she has leukemia. Her doctor, played by Robert DeNiro, informs her that her only chance of survival is if she can convince her sister (Meryl Streep) who she has not spoken to in 20 years or nephews Hank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Charlie who she has never met. The drama that ensues is all built around the family tension, as Streep's character Lee has not spoken with Bessie because she refused to help take care of their father.
Keaton and Streep both deliver fantastic performances, and we even get a taste of pre-"Titanic" DiCaprio. The performances make the movie, which is simply the play put on the silver screen, which comes as no surprise when the playwright, Scott McPherson, is also responsible for the screenplay. Keaton's honesty and innocence due to her living her life as her father's aid are incredibly apparent in everything she does, and Streep clearly lets Lee's roller-coaster ride of different emotions become apparent at every stop.
The film's weaknesses lie mostly in the deeper thematic areas. The symbolism felt much more appropriate for the stage, where from a film perspective there was nothing very active about the plot aside from a few moments. Most of it is dialogue and hitting on themes through character interaction, which is vital in the theatre, but not as effective in film. So, those that love the theatre will find "Marvin's Room" very good for those reasons, but those who have a deeper love of film will find something missing from this story despite the stellar acting and touching story.
Keaton stars as Bessie, a middle-aged woman who has spent her entire life taking care of her father Marvin and Aunt Ruth who both are not mentally sound, who has discovered she has leukemia. Her doctor, played by Robert DeNiro, informs her that her only chance of survival is if she can convince her sister (Meryl Streep) who she has not spoken to in 20 years or nephews Hank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Charlie who she has never met. The drama that ensues is all built around the family tension, as Streep's character Lee has not spoken with Bessie because she refused to help take care of their father.
Keaton and Streep both deliver fantastic performances, and we even get a taste of pre-"Titanic" DiCaprio. The performances make the movie, which is simply the play put on the silver screen, which comes as no surprise when the playwright, Scott McPherson, is also responsible for the screenplay. Keaton's honesty and innocence due to her living her life as her father's aid are incredibly apparent in everything she does, and Streep clearly lets Lee's roller-coaster ride of different emotions become apparent at every stop.
The film's weaknesses lie mostly in the deeper thematic areas. The symbolism felt much more appropriate for the stage, where from a film perspective there was nothing very active about the plot aside from a few moments. Most of it is dialogue and hitting on themes through character interaction, which is vital in the theatre, but not as effective in film. So, those that love the theatre will find "Marvin's Room" very good for those reasons, but those who have a deeper love of film will find something missing from this story despite the stellar acting and touching story.