Juliette Lewis is the Other Sister

The Other Sister stars Juliette Lewis as a mentally challenged 20 something woman amidst an all star cast including Diane Keaton. Tom Skerritt by the lengthy and disengaged story.

Louis, in her first performance since her drug rehabilitation, tackles the challenging role of Carla Tate, a young mentally-disabled woman returning home after coming of age in a secluded private residential school. she is escorted to her affluent family's home is San Francisco by her eager and understanding father Radley Tate (Skerritt). There Carla is greeted by her two sisters Caroline and Heather, Caroline's new fiance and an overbearing mother (Keaton). Ambitious Carla Soon enrolls at Bay Tech Junior College where she meets Daniel McMare (Ribisi), another mentally challenged 20-something student. Danny, unlike Carla, attended mainstream public school and now lives on is own through her relationship with Danny, which later becomes romantic, Carla realizes and seeks independence, something her guilt-ridden mother is not ready to grant. Quickly the tate family's influence and prodding convinces Keaton's character to help Carla find her own apartment, giving her "Independence and dignity." Throughout the film, Carla and Danny struggle to discover their place in the world while Mrs. Tate battles with the idea of once again losing control over her daughter.

Lewis and Ribisi stand out in the movie, convincing the audience of their fine acting abilities. The characters are captivating and complex. Lewis and Ribisi effectively combine humor with the serious undertones connected to the disabilities of their characters. Danny's passion for life and marching bands and Carla's desire to love and be loved make the characters real and lovable.

Though the central story-line encompassing the relationship of Carla and Danny is interesting, it is drawn out and poorly intermingled with underdeveloped sub-stories. Carla's sisters are presented as dysfunctional daughters, at least in the eyes of their mother who describes Caroline as a "dedicated underachiever" and Heather as a "Gay workaholic." Both characters have the potential to make substantial contributions to the main theme but do not. Each is simply thrown into the mixing bowl by director Gary Marshall, adding a hint of flavor but Zero texture.

The marriage between Skerritt and Keaton is also an important aspect of the plot that is alluded to but quickly abandoned. Several times throughout the movie, the couple is pitted in conflicting roles concerning the strain of raising, and letting go of, Carla. This scenario is very real in such a complicated situation but unfortunately its importance is downplayed. The struggles are continually dissolved in a similar manner and without much angst. The personality of each character is no monotonously predictable and underdeveloped that the talents of Keaton and Skarritt are wasted upon them.

The weaknesses of the The Other Sister, including the unnecessary length, the failure to weave sub-stories effectively into the main plot and the underdevelopment of supporting characters obscure the positive aspects of the movie. Buy your ticket for this one solely to experience Lewis" effective performance.