The Other Sister

The Other Sister
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Garry Marshall
Produced by	Alexandra Rose Mario Iscovich David Hoberman (executive producer)
Written by	Alexander Rose Blair Richwood Garry Marshall Bob Brunner
Starring	Juliette Lewis Giovanni Ribisi Diane Keaton Tom Skerritt Joe Flanigan
Music by	Kyle Vincent
Cinematography	Dante Spinotti
Editing by	Bruce Green
Distributed by	Touchstone Pictures
Release date(s)	February 26, 1999 (1999-02-26)
Running time	129 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$35,000,000
Box office	$27,807,627

The Other Sister is a 1999 romantic comedy film starring Juliette Lewis, Giovanni Ribisi, Diane Keaton, and Tom Skerritt. Garry Marshall directed the film. Lewis was nominated for a "Worst Supporting Actress" Razzie Award for her performance.^[1]

The movie was filmed in Long Beach, Pasadena, and San Francisco, California.^[2]

Plot

After receiving a well-earned certification from a Special Education school, Carla Tate, an ambitious and mildly mentally challenged young lady, returns home to her domineering, bossy and slightly irritating mother and dentist father. Carla's ambition is to seek to be more independent from her family. One means by which she can accomplish this is by attending the polytechnic high school to earn her diploma. Her mother is less than adamant about her daughter's decision. When she meets Daniel McMann on the first day of school, they become friends and soon fall in love. Carla envies Danny's freedom and finally convinces her parents that she is capable of living on her own, and moves into her own apartment. Carla's mother is very hesitant and fraught with anxiety about letting Carla move out.

At a Christmas holiday party, Daniel inadvertently consumes too much alcohol. In an attempt to make his sincere feelings of love for Carla known to everybody, he grabs the microphone and tells everyone at the party about Carla and their first time making love. A humiliated Carla bursts into tears and shouts at everyone to stop laughing at her. Although Daniel did not intend to embarrass Carla, she is nonetheless devastated and refuses to see him. Carla later realizes how much she is still in love with Danny and wants to see him again despite her Mother advising her otherwise. At Carla's sister's wedding, Danny surprises Carla by showing up at the church unannounced and asking Carla to marry him, in a scene mimicking "The Graduate", the couple's favorite movie.

Everyone supports their wishes except for Carla's mother who is unsure that Danny can take care of her. Carla's mother has always been uneasy about Carla doing anything, due to her disability. Carla gets angry with her mom and tells her that she is sick of her trying to tell her (Carla) what to do. Carla's family supports her decision, and her dad walks her down the aisle. Carla's mother has a change of heart and she shows up at the wedding. Outside the church, Danny surprises Carla with a marching band, which plays a song from The Music Man.

Main cast

• Juliette Lewis as Carla Tate
• Diane Keaton as Elizabeth Tate
• Tom Skerritt as Dr. Radley Tate
• Giovanni Ribisi as Daniel "Danny" McMann
• Poppy Montgomery as Caroline Tate
• Sarah Paulson as Heather Tate
• Linda Thorson as Drew Evanson
• Joe Flanigan as Jeff Reed
• Juliet Mills as Winnie the Housekeeper
• Tracy Reiner as Michelle
• Hector Elizondo as Ernie

Box office

The film opened at #3 at the North American box office making US$6.6 million in its opening weekend behind Payback and 8mm, which opened at the top spot. It ultimately grossed less than $28 million domestically, barely bringing back its $35 million budget.

Reception

The Other Sister received mostly negative reviews from critics and maintains a 29% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.^[3] Roger Ebert rated the film at one out of four possible stars, and said the film was "so over-the-top maudlin that it makes Patch Adams and Stepmom look stoic and reserved."^[4]

Soundtrack

The Other Sister: Music from the Motion Picture was released on February 23, 1999. The lead song for the soundtrack was "The Animal Song" by Savage Garden. The music video for the song featured scenes from the film. It peaked at #109 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

References

1. ^ http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Razzie_Awards/2000
2. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123209/locations
3. ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/other_sister/
4. ^ http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990226/REVIEWS/902260306/1023

External links

• The Other Sister at the Internet Movie Database
• The Other Sister at AllRovi