If you are looking for a feel-good film or something nice, do NOT watch "Marvin's Room". It's incredibly depressing and awful and is a lot like watching the life of Job as every possible awful thing happens to poor, sweet Bessie in the picture. It's so bad that at times I felt like cringing as I watched the film.
Here's the low-down in this god-awful film. Bessie (Diane Keaton) is the sole caretaker for her father, Marvin (Hume Cronyn), who has been bedridden, brain damaged and unable to talk after a stroke which occurred many, many years ago. Bessie is also the caretaker for her mentally ill and wacky Aunt Ruth (Gwen Verdon). Bessie is a selfless and nice person but she has no life apart from these two. Now, she's just learned that she has Leukemia and may die unless she gets a bone marrow transplant.
Bessie's sister, Lee (Meryl Streep) is a selfish train wreck. She's clueless, self-absorbed and a horrible person. She never offered Bessie any help in caring for these sick people and they haven't spoken in nearly two decades--and expecting any change in this is very unrealistic. Not surprisingly, her oldest son, Hank (Leonardo DiCaprio) is seriously disturbed...however, he's SO disturbed that when the film begins, he deliberately burns their house to the ground. As a result, he's committed to a mental institution. There is a much younger son- -an oblivious lost soul.
It turns out that there's trouble finding a bone marrow match for Bessie and she has to rely on her sister and her family. Lee takes Hank out of the mental hospital to which he's been committed in order to take him cross country to see if he is a match. She DOESN'T tell Hank this and based on Hank's seriously disturbed and crazy behaviors, it sure ain't likely that he'll agree when he finds out the truth. Now, this incredibly sick group of weirdos are all brought into the same home and the viewer is wondering what the heck sort of awfulness will happen next.
The acting is fine in this film. In addition to the folks I mentioned, Robert De Niro is also in the film...but with all the craziness he does get a bit lost. That's because the script is just too much--too much craziness and the ending is WAY too much because it makes little sense. It is also so painful to watch and if you come from a rather dysfunctional background, it might really scare you away or remind you of your own issues (for good or bad..but probably bad). And, many of us watch movies to escape--not to feel unpleasant. I myself used to be a family and individual therapist--and the film just reminded me of the worst of the clients I worked with...and that wasn't altogether welcome. Plus how satisfying can it be to sit and watch this long train wreck?! And realistic can an ending be where, miraculously, the problems seemingly just vanish?!
Hard to watch, hard to love. I can see why this wasn't a big money- maker when it debuted.
Here's the low-down in this god-awful film. Bessie (Diane Keaton) is the sole caretaker for her father, Marvin (Hume Cronyn), who has been bedridden, brain damaged and unable to talk after a stroke which occurred many, many years ago. Bessie is also the caretaker for her mentally ill and wacky Aunt Ruth (Gwen Verdon). Bessie is a selfless and nice person but she has no life apart from these two. Now, she's just learned that she has Leukemia and may die unless she gets a bone marrow transplant.
Bessie's sister, Lee (Meryl Streep) is a selfish train wreck. She's clueless, self-absorbed and a horrible person. She never offered Bessie any help in caring for these sick people and they haven't spoken in nearly two decades--and expecting any change in this is very unrealistic. Not surprisingly, her oldest son, Hank (Leonardo DiCaprio) is seriously disturbed...however, he's SO disturbed that when the film begins, he deliberately burns their house to the ground. As a result, he's committed to a mental institution. There is a much younger son- -an oblivious lost soul.
It turns out that there's trouble finding a bone marrow match for Bessie and she has to rely on her sister and her family. Lee takes Hank out of the mental hospital to which he's been committed in order to take him cross country to see if he is a match. She DOESN'T tell Hank this and based on Hank's seriously disturbed and crazy behaviors, it sure ain't likely that he'll agree when he finds out the truth. Now, this incredibly sick group of weirdos are all brought into the same home and the viewer is wondering what the heck sort of awfulness will happen next.
The acting is fine in this film. In addition to the folks I mentioned, Robert De Niro is also in the film...but with all the craziness he does get a bit lost. That's because the script is just too much--too much craziness and the ending is WAY too much because it makes little sense. It is also so painful to watch and if you come from a rather dysfunctional background, it might really scare you away or remind you of your own issues (for good or bad..but probably bad). And, many of us watch movies to escape--not to feel unpleasant. I myself used to be a family and individual therapist--and the film just reminded me of the worst of the clients I worked with...and that wasn't altogether welcome. Plus how satisfying can it be to sit and watch this long train wreck?! And realistic can an ending be where, miraculously, the problems seemingly just vanish?!
Hard to watch, hard to love. I can see why this wasn't a big money- maker when it debuted.