Marvin's Room (1996)
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The story
Marvin, a man who had a stroke twenty years ago, is incapacitated and bedridden in his Florida home, cared for by his sister Ruth and daughter Bessie. His other daughter, Lee, has been estranged from the family for two decades. When Lee's 17-year-old son Hank burns down the family home and is institutionalized, Lee eventually brings him to Florida. The reunion is complicated by the news that Bessie has leukemia and requires a bone marrow transplant. Lee must navigate her strained relationship with her son and her estranged father while attempting to help her sister, leading to a tense and emotional family dynamic.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Marvin, a man who had a stroke twenty years ago, is incapacitated and bedridden in Florida, cared for by his sister Ruth and daughter Bessie. His other daughter, Lee, has been estranged for twenty years. After Lee's son Hank burns down the family home and is institutionalized, Lee brings him to Florida. Bessie reveals she has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. Lee seeks help from her sons, Charlie and Hank, and brings Hank to Florida. Despite a rocky start, Bessie and Hank begin to bond, with Bessie gifting him her father's tools. As the family grows closer, Lee begins to care for her father, researching his medications. During a trip to Disney World, Bessie falls ill. Testing reveals that neither of the boys is a bone marrow match. As Bessie's condition deteriorates, Lee accepts her role as the primary caregiver for her father, eventually finding a moment of connection with him in his room.
- First release year
- 1996
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jerry Zaks
- Writers
- John Guare · screenplay; Scott McPherson · source material
- Cast and characters
- Meryl Streep · Lee; Leonardo DiCaprio · Hank; Diane Keaton · Bessie; Robert De Niro · Marvin; Hume Cronyn; Gwen Verdon; Hal Scardino
- Genres
- drama
- Themes
- caregiving; family dysfunction; love; suffering
- Tone and mood
- dramatic; comedic; intimate
- Premise and plot tags
- dysfunctional family; cancer; mother-son relationship; sisters
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1990 play by Scott McPherson
- Reception
- The film was only modestly successful financially but fared better critically, receiving generally favorable reviews and an 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 83% · review count: 48; Metacritic · score: 68 · scale: 100 · review count: 20; CinemaScore · score: C+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film was initially regarded as an unlikely candidate for a film adaptation because of its intimate, highly theatrical nature.; The humor was toned down during editing to make the characters and situations more believable.; The production kept the Disney shoot largely unpublicized and prohibited park guests from taking photographs.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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