hankpink Reviews

The Other Sister (1999)

Are you people serious?

[6 February 2003]

Touchstone pictures must be really working overtime to retroactively promote this movie if all these glowing reviews are any indication.

This movie is awful. Every instinct that the filmmakers followed was woefully misguided. Characters are introduced, then forgotten about, Diane Keaton improvises horribly in every one of her scenes, the music is scattershot and wholly inappropriate (The Animal Song? Equating retarded people with animals!?!), and far from last and far from least - the condescending manner in which it deals with disabled people.

I've seen this film six times, out of perverse fascination. Anyone who truly, TRULY believes this is a good film is simply perverse.

Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted (1992 TV Movie)

Top flight tearjerker!

[20 August 2001]

I just caught this one on Lifetime the other day, and I had to admit, I was a bit skeptical...at first. I had admired the work of Chris Burke (Corky on TV's Life Goes On) for quite a number of years, but I was unsure if he would work for the character of Jonathan, the unwanted boy of the title. Let me tell you, he was amazing.

The supporting cast was uniformly excellent, but at the heart of the picture is Chris Burke, emoting far more effectively than just about any famous actor working today. (Watch out especially for touching scenes in an airplane and on a bicycle.) It's a shame this film is probably not on video, but be sure to keep an eye out for it on Lifetime. I know I most certainly will!