Marvin's Room

With Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton mixed in a coktail it´s impossible not to cry... I just had to write cause these are two of my favourite actresses. Their effortlessly natural performances stand up for the marvelous Hollywood actresses they definetely are. Sharing the big screen with them is mini young Leonardo Dicaprio before the boom of Titanic. Director Jerry Zacs 1996.


Not for the sensitive ones, this is a movie from the Drama gender. Of course, disease takes place, but whereas other movies leave you devastated this one makes you forget the disease and focus on the beautiful series of events that are taking place.

Two sister's:  Lee (Meryl) and Bessie( Diane)that grow apart from each other when their father becomes ill, and only Diane decides to stay and assist him, while Merryl runs off to do her own.
Lee single-handedly raises two kids, not in the best way a mother can, but who are we to judge?
Hank (Leo) a ringmarole that apparently hates her mother and works on pulling off situations that will attract her mother's attention. A  broken boat lost at a tender age where every kid should be loved. The other kid ,on the contrary, is a lovely little kid. With Hank on a "nuts" center for attempting to burn down the house Lee receives a call from her sister making everything change.

The three members  of the family hit the road ( love the scene of Meryl and Leo smoking in the car) to the once home of Lee. Aunt Betsie doesn't know her nieces and neither do them, but couldn't care less when she heads off to hug Hank to make up for lost time. Moreover, picture a wanting to impress Meryl street  who attaches hair to appear more young and an uncomfortable hug between two sisters that haven't seen each other for 20 years.

What at first seems like a rebel, mad with the world type of kid who can't even fake a smile or let alone be seen having a good time, finds in Betsie what he's yearning for in his mother. His mother who  always nags him and refers to him as a lost case, contrasts with aunt Betsie who starts to make the effort of knowing him and spend their time together.

Moreover ,the two sisters begin to reconnect to the extent of wondering why they ever lost contact in the first place. I love the scene with the two sisters gossiping for late hours and a smoking Lee deciding something INSTATLY has to be done to her sister's dull wig.
Without knowing it Lee is coming back to herself.
Everything starts to fit into place: her evasive son Hank starts to make approaches, begins to smile and laugh, Diane is enjoying herself (despite knowing things might not work for her) and Lee finally is reconnecting with her son, father, sister and everything that had gotten her away from this place.

Everything seems to fit  like  pieces of a puzzle which were once lost, but finally found and put into place.

This movie is combined with such evident rightness one's only reponse is to clap OUT LOUD.
A movie that shows us at that when everything seems to be going wrong ,there's always a way back to happiness and that bad news can better be fought within your family fort.

Now wipe out the water from your noses people, I know you cried!!!!