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Popcorn Reviews
With Cybèle: The Other Sister
By Cybèle Elaine Werts
CybeleW@aol.com
First published
in the Shelburne News, Shelburne Vermont
Popcorn Kernel Rating (four possible): Three
and a half Kernels for a charming love story, minus one kernel
for the rest which is not worth much.
We all love a love story, especially when it
is two people who have to fight for recognition like Romeo and
Juliette. The Other Sister is this kind of love story. Carla (Juliette
Lewis) has just gotten out of the special school that she’s
been in for years, away from her family. Although slightly
retarded, she has been well trained in the school to take on
challenges from saying NO to unwanted advances to moving out on
her own. Against the strenuous objections of her tense and
controlling mother (Diane Keaton) she returns to a vocational
school so that she can become a veterinarian’s assistant.
Along the way she meets and falls in love with Daniel (Giovanni
Ribisi - who you may recognize from his recurring bit part in
the sitcom Friends). Their love affair is the gem of this film;
funny and tender. For this alone the film is worth the rather
long two hours and ten minutes.
The downside, (aside from it being a good
forty minutes too long) is the rest of the cast of characters.
Before Carla went to the special school, the family was having a
pretty rough time with her unpredictable behavior. Years later
the father and sisters have all magically transformed into
loving and incredibly supportive family members. No explanation.
Only the mother is as anal as she was years before. The plot is
similarly shallow, failing to resolve major plot lines such as
how Daniel will support himself if he does marry Carla. He is
inexperienced and once uses drink to give him courage, creating
his and Carla’s one huge fight. Once it’s over, everything
is fine and that’s the end of things. This is a relationship
that allows them to have everything sugar sweet (except for the
one single fight of their relationship) only because they are
retarded. If any other movie couple had no real problems, we’d
never buy it.
Enjoy the movie for what it is, in particular
both Lewis’ and Ribisi’s fine performances. The rest is
pretty much a wash.
Suggested Gustatory Accompaniment: Dog shaped
sugar cookies. (Daniel is a baker)
Copyright 2000
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