1996 | Directed by Jerry Zaks |
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Two sisters try to set their familial differences aside - one in hopes of saving her own life
- in this drama with comic accents. Bessie has lived in Florida for the past 20
years, where she's been caring for her chronically ill father Marvin. When
Bessie is diagnosed with cancer, she's told that the only treatment likely to save her would
be a bone marrow transplant from a close relative — which leads Bessie to contact her sister
Lee for the first time since their father fell ill. Bessie and Lee have a
number of issues with each other that they've never resolved, many con- |
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cerning their responses to Marvin's illness (Bessie rushed to his side, while Lee preferred
to stay away), and Lee's own life has been difficult. As Bessie and Lee reestablish contact
after two decades, they discover just how much emotional ground they have to cover before they
can meet on common ground.
| ADDITIONAL CAST & CHARACTERS |
Meryl Streep
Diane Keaton
Leonardo DiCaprio
Robert De Niro
Hal Scardino |
... Lee
... Bessie
... Hank
... Dr. Wally
... Charlie |
View complete gallery
Meryl Streep, Entertainment Weekly, March 2000
"I finally got some credibility in my own household when Leo called me 'da bomb'. I thought
'da bomb' was a bad thing, but no. On 'Marvin's Room' I realized that I learn from De Niro
all the time. And my mother used to say, 'on a multiple-choice test, your first choice is generally
right.' And Bobby's all about doubting himelf, saying 'let me do one more, one more'. He can give
a director and an editor an infinite variety of choices. And I'm more one to say, 'Look, I have
to go home and cook dinner for 12 people and I CAN'T BE HERE ANYMORE'"
Meryl Streep, Premiere Magazine, March 1997
"Leonardo's hilarious off the set and then it gets serious. Then you want to say, 'Shut up,
Leonardo. We're gonna do this shot where I have to cry, so I need to pay attention'. But he's
unschooled in that way of protocol that the older generation of actors are, when they give each
other their personal space. And it fueled me, because I adore his work and his concentration.
It's great to have fun, but when you have to play the pissed-off character... I would try to be
pissed off and it was impossible because he's so delicious as a person. I got jealous when he
did his scenes with Diane; he clearly liked the character better. He liked teasing Diane and
making her giggle. It made me sit up and really get hawkish. I was incapable of giggling in this
movie, where I'm carrying my thundercloud around with me. He'd crack a joke and I'd manage some
dry, barking laugh."
Leonardo DiCaprio, New York Daily News, October 2006
"I remember doing scenes with Meryl Streep for 'Marvin's Room' and saying to myself, 'What is this lady
doing? She's all over the place!' There I am at 19, saying, 'Oh God, that'll look terrible!'
And then I saw her on screen of course and thought, 'Wow, she's running circles around
everybody!'"
Sigourney Weaver, Anjelica Huston and Kathleen Turner were all considered for the role ultimately played by Diane Keaton.
Additional Information at the Internet Movie Database
Full cast & credits, trivia and business information
DiCaprio.com
Comprehensive source on DiCaprio's life and career
| AWARDS / NOMINATIONS FOR MERYL STREEP |
1997 (Nomination) Golden Globe Award - Best Actress
1997 (Nomination) Screen Actors Guild Award - Best Acting Ensemble
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Features: none
Video: Widescreen, Color
Languages: English (Dolby)
BUY DVD AT AMAZON.COM |
DVD Release: February 09, 1999
Region Code: 1
Distributor: Miramax
ASIN: 6305268827
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