My Sister's Keeper (film)
2009 film by Nick Cassavetes
My Sister's Keeper is a 2009 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jodi Picoult starring Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Sofia Vassilieva, and Alec Baldwin, with Nick Cassavetes directing.
Anna Fitzgerald
edit- When I was a kid, my mother told me that I was a little piece of blue sky that came into this world cause she and dad loved me so much. It was only later that I realized that it wasn't exactly true. Most babies are coincidences. I mean up in space you've got all of these souls flying around, looking for bodies to live in, then down here on earth two people have sex or whatever and bam, coincidence. Sure you hear all these stories about how everyone plans these perfect families. But the truth is, most babies are products of drunken evenings and lack of birth control. They're accidents. Only people who have trouble making babies actually plan for them. I on the other hand, am not a coincidence. I was engineered, born for a particular reason. A scientist hooked up my mother's eggs and my father's sperm to make a specific combination of genes. He did it to save my sister's life.
- Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Kate had been healthy, I'd probably still be up in heaven or wherever, waiting to be attached to a body down here on earth, but coincidence or not, I'm here.
- That's my sister Kate. She's dying.
- I'm important too, Mom! I'm important too!
- That's my Mom and Aunt Kelly making dinner. Since my sister got sick, things have changed, Aunt Kelly only works part time and Mom quit her job as a lawyer. Her life now revolves around keeping Kate alive, cooking and cleaning, everything steamed, organic, and germ-free. I guess you could say we're a little dysfunctional, but we all love each other and we do the best we can.
- Once upon a time I thought I was put on earth to save my sister. And in the end I couldn't do it. I realize now that wasn't the point. The point was I had a sister. She was fantastic. One day I'm sure I'll see her again. But until then our relationship continues...
Sara Fitzgerald
edit- It's hard to imagine now, that there was a time before all this happened, when the kids were just kids and everyone was happy
- Oncology? But that's cancer.
- I'm not going to let her die. You know that, right?
- The radiation, which ultimately put Kate into remission, worked its magic by wearing her down. Taylor Ambrose, a drug of an entirely different sort, worked his magic by building her up.
Jesse Fitzgerald
edit- Nobody is saying anything, but seeing everyone together let's me know that this is serious. Our family is kind of disconnected. Dad's relatives are wealthy and distant, and Mom's side drive her crazy. So besides Aunt Kelly, we never get to really see everybody except on holidays or disasters.
- You know you're nuts, right?
- She kicked the door down?!
Kate Fitzgerald
edit- Do I look pretty, Daddy?
- I don't mind my disease killing me, but it's killing my family, too.
- I don't have any money, but 'll pay you in sexual favors.
Campbell Alexander
edit- When Anna Fitzgerald first stepped into my office I thought she was selling girl scout cookies.
- I have an iron lung, and Judge helps me steer clear of magnets.
- The kid wasn't lying. The doctor started taking things from her the moment she was born. Cord blood as an infant, white blood cell transfusions, bone marrow, lymphocytes, injections to add more stem cells, then they took them, too, but it was never enough.
Dialogue
edit- Sara: Where are you going?
- Kate: Bathroom, wanna come?
- Anna: I want to sue my parents for the rights to my own body.
- Campbell Alexander: Would you repeat that, please?
- Anna: I want to sue my parents for the right to my own body. My sister has leukemia. They are trying to force me to give her my body parts.
- Campbell: You're supposed to give her a kidney?
- Anna: She has been in renal failure for months now.
- Campbell: Well, no one can force you to donate if you don't want to, can they?
- Anna: They think they can. I'm under eighteen, they're my legal guardians.
- Campbell: They can't do that.
- Anna: Well that's what I want you to tell them because they have been doing it to me my whole life. I wouldn't even be alive if Kate wasn't sick. I'm a designer baby. I was made in a dish to be spare parts for Kate.
- Campbell: You're kidding, right? You do know what will happen if you don't give her your kidney, right?
- Anna: Yeah, she will die.
- Brian: Your mom just needs a little time to cool off.
- Anna: Yeah, I heard her, 'Get her out of here. I don't want to see her face anymore.'
- Kate: What are you in here for?
- Taylor: The free cocktails.
- Kate: Right, happy hour.
- Kate: (After Taylor walks away) So, what do you think?
- Nurse: Girl, that boy is fine.
- Kate: I know, right?
- Brian: These your kids?
- Sara: Yes, they are. Question is, are they yours?
- Brian: I believe that.
- Nurse: We need a urine sample.
- Kate: But I don't have to go.
- Nurse: Then drink something.
- Kate: But I'm not thirsty.
- Nurse: Drink something, don't drink something, I don't care, but that cup better be filled when I get back. (walks away)
- Kate: What a bitch.
- Kate: Want to hear our routine?
- Sara: What routine?
- Anna: [lowers voice, imitating a male] Hey baby, what's your sign?
- Kate: Cancer.
- Anna: You're a cancer?
- Kate: No, I'm a Leo.
- Both girls: But I have cancer.
- [Alexander Campbell, Anna's lawyer, is sitting in his office]
- Secretary: [Over the intercom] Your 11 o'clock appointment is here.
- Alexander: I don't have an 11 o'clock appointment.
- Secretary: [Through door] Wait, you can't go in there!
- [Sara Fitzgerald storms through his door. Secretary tries to pull her out]
- Sara: Get your hands off me. Mr. Alexander, I'm Sara Fitzgerald, Anna's mother.
- Alexander: [To secretary] It's okay, Gloria.
- Gloria: Are you sure? Because I don't mind calling security.
- Alexander: No, no. Thank you. [Gloria leaves] What can I do for you, Mrs. Fitzgerald?
- Sara: [Reaching into her bag, taking out a card and handing it to him] The legal age for emancipation of a minor is 14 in the state of California. It's the law, you might want to check it out. Anna is only 11.
- Alexander: I'm aware of the law she's challenging.
- Sara: She can't. She's too young to stand for herself.
- Alexander: I'm filing for her as guardian ad litem.
- Sara: As what? A family independence agency?
- Alexander: I have 15 years as a volunteer member of the ACLU. In addition to which, I have this power of attorney signed by your daughter. [Hands the power of attorney over to her]
- Sara: [reading] This'll never hold up. It's not even legal.
- Alexander: Anna doesn't want to do it any more. And 11 years old or not, she has rights. And so long as she wants to move forward, I am going to help her.
- Sara: Why? What's your interest? This isn't a case for you. There's no money!
- Alexander: [outraged] What's my interest!? Eight hospitalizations in eleven years, six catheterizations, two bone-marrow aspirations, two stem-cell purges!
- Sara: [Indignantly] She was helping her sister!
- Alexander: [Ignoring her] Not to mention the side effects, including bleeding, infections, bruising. Filgrastim shots! Those are growth hormones, am I correct?
- Sara: Something like that.
- Alexander: Drugs for nausea, opiates for pain, Ambien for sleep. Not exactly the proper medication for a pre-teen!
- Sara: Every procedure had its risks and complications! Anna understood that, she was okay with it!
- Alexander: Really?
- Sara: Yeah!
- Alexander: At five years old?
- [Sara gabbles, trying to think of a response, but cannot]
- Sara: Oh my God, you're good. You're really good. You know, I've seen your commercials, right? I mean, who hasn't! I always thought you were some sort of headline-seeking hack, but you have real talent. [Angrily] You almost had me believing that you cared about Anna!
- Alexander: [Coldly] Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you.
