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Review by Susan Granger
3½ stars out of 4
"Pretty Woman" director Garry Marshall has struck gold, once
again, with this fresh, engaging, provocative story of a mentally
challenged young woman (Juliette Lewis) who returns from ten years of
confinement in a special school determined to lead an independent
life, much to the chagrin of her guilty, indulgent father (Tom
Skerritt) and smothering, over-protective mother (Diane Keaton). When
she falls in love with a similarly impaired man (Giovanni Ribisi) and
demands her own apartment, their concern turns to absolute panic, as
the story revolves around the parental dilemma of what to do when a
child with special needs becomes an adult. Juliette Lewis is
magnificently vibrant and totally captivating as the defiantly spunky
woman whom her doctor describes as "pushing the edge of the envelope."
And Giovanni Ribisi is endearingly vulnerable as a man besotted by
marching bands, yet haunted by taunts of "retard." Having never dated
- with only the sketchiest knowledge of sex - their romance is
innocently awkward, painfully poignant, and hilariously funny. "I
wonder who thought up sex in the first place," she muses in one
cleverly comical scene. "I think it was Madonna," he answers, quite
seriously. As co-writer with Bob Brunner, Gary Marshall's sensitivity
is apparent, allowing the audience to enjoy and empathize with these
two young people who embark on a challenging journey of
self-discovery. The only weakness of the film lies with the cliche'd
writing of the parents' roles and the so-called "normal " sisters: one
engaged, the other a lesbian. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10,
"The Other Sister" is an exuberant, life-affirming 9. It's a charming,
delightful, bittersweet and most unusual love story.
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
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out of 4
