Benutzerrezensionen

This movie affected me very deeply because I was the primary caretaker for my own mother, who died in 2011 of a form of ALS. The issues involved were very close to the surface for me (still) and I reacted very emotionally to this beautifully crafted story.

Unfortunately the timeline in the movie was grossly inaccurate. It took my mother eight agonizing years to lose the use of her body, bit-by-bit, and by the end she could neither talk nor communicate. She slowly lost the use of her legs about 4 years after her first stumbling signs of trouble, and lost the ability to write about 6 years in. She was bedridden for the last three years of her life, 100% mentally normal but slowly becoming encased in a body that would no longer respond to her.

She refused a feeding tube when swallowing became a problem, and eventually had to die, three weeks later, from slow starvation. It was horrible. She BEGGED (when she still could) to be hastened toward death but by then there was nothing we could do. Washington's "Death With Dignity" law did not apply to her situation.

So while the story here treated similar circumstances with compassion, there was an unrealistic portrayal of the true horrors of ALS.

This is a movie based upon a very controversial topic. Without giving too much away in the way of spoilers because their synopsis on this web page doesn't really give too much away either, all I want to say is kudos to the entire crew that worked on the production of this film. I'm certain many people consider their options in similar manners, but are too 'weak' to go through something like this. You have to watch this movie to form your own opinion though. Everyone will have their own take or spin on how they would have handled this. I think it's personal to the ones undergoing the 'diseases' and we should begin to heed their choices instead of our own personal choices. If we all had the freedom to make the choices we wanted to make on our own, without others, we'd be a much healthier world. But we tend to be too overbearing and controlling of others. People need their freedoms to move forward....or not! Let them be! Mother Mary will come to us speaking words of wisdom, let them be! Enjoy this film that is very well worth anyone's time to watch.

Outstanding story, great directing, superb acting. As an aging parent, a lot for your kids to deal with. Cant say enough good things. Watch it, several times and buy it. ******** The fact that it was filmed in 17 days should make every big studio green with envy. To have such a great story, simple scenery, quickly directed and filmed and a top trending live tweeting fan club should also make them think again when they are approached with a new straight forward script. Doesn't have to be CGI to draw an audience. We of the older movie goers like stories that require quality acting to get the concept across. Don't need special effects in every scene to be worth the ticket.

SMART WOMEN. Smart women who are not defined by a male character. All of them- so well written and fleshed out. Lovely acting all around. Was enamored with Troyan Bellisario- whom I had never seen. Deftly directed with nuance and care. At times funny and others, gut-wrenching. But never fell into the stereotypical UBER-FEELY trap that many female driven fare can. Really just a total GEM of a film. Was at a screening where the audience was both laughing and crying, a successful story in my book. Was also wonderful to see Jackie Weaver in a lovely turn as their flawed but original matriarch.

BRAVO LIFETIME for backing SMART, FEMALE DRIVEN FARE!!

I was familiar with the brilliant play that inspired the film and was blown away with the adaptation. Four sisters grappling with the personal disappointments, their fraught relationship with their mother and each other, and with their mother's death. The actors are riveting, the entire experience gripping. Set on a lake, the story unfolds in a kind of "No Exit," environment, where the sisters are forced to remain as the uncomfortable hours click by, forced to face issues none wishes to face. The addition of more back story and appearance of some men in the women's lives adds wonderful dimension as well, each one played pitch perfect for their role. Fun bonus to see the stunning beauty that Cindy Crawford's daughter has grown to be, especially since she demonstrated wonderful acting chops. Another actor to watch, along with the rest of the superb and relatively new to seasoned cast. Highly recommend.

Decided to watch this after reading the reviews. But to be honest the movie doesn't build up until after 3/4 of the way, which is pointless Becasue then it is about to Finish by the time it builds up. There was to much fluffing around and uneccessary scenes before disclosing the reason the mum died. So boring and also slow. And this is not a thriller or mystery movie. It is only a family drama. And there is literally 1% mystery. Quite boring. .

This my kind of movie with stereo type of characters. Strong women with each having their own problems.

Every now and then I see a movie or read a book that touches upon the soul. THIS is just suck a movie.

NO SPOILERS but life can be tragic one moment and hilarious the next.

The ups and downs are what make memories, form bonds and keep us on our toes.

This movie encompassed raw emotion during brutal yet magnificently messy, heartfelt moments. A beautiful story with flawed characters and flawless actresses!

Sadly, it touches on a truth which reminds us it often takes tragedy to bring families together.

The four sister unite during such an event and must learn to see each other in new, adult eyes and come to terms, each is vastly different in where their lives have gone.

Author-Bobbi Romans

The development of the characters in the movie was excellent. The plot moved along briskly, but the ending was not predictable. the movie unfolded piece by piece. Lots of dialogue, none of which was irrelevant and also lots of action, for a chick flick. All of which served the theme, which I will not reveal. But I will say is that this, for me, is what matters the most, and when I call it a Hollywood morality play, I'm talking about Hollywood morality. Sister Cities lays out a developing trend in American moral thinking that I believe is an aspect of the general degeneration of our society, and despite the fact that this movie is well crafted, I give it a 4.

The story is riveting and the acting flawless. I loved this movie. And I saw a screening on the same weekend as I saw 2 big box-office films. This one way outshone the others in every way. The story was told with flashbacks in a way that revealed more and more of the linear story as the film progressed. The ensemble acting made you feel you were there with these sisters. And the scenes between each sister and mother deepened our understanding of each character. The screenwriter is not only a wonderful scriptwriter, but also a novelist and we get to know these characters in a way that is usually possible only in novels. There is humor, sometimes dark, but always real that comes from the story, never thrown in merely to break the tension.

worse actresses ever. couldn't buy one single scene of it. Totally forced and pretentious movie with bad actresses making faces and trying hard to convince they're serious. Didn't work. When the mother dies (that's given) you think something unexpected it's gonna happen, but it's just a sequence of clichés about old memories and irrelevant sister's issues. It really does not fabricate a deep meaning into it. The sisters characters are very superficially constructed and even their relationships looks fake from the start. The film failed to bring us something to actually deal with other than a mother dying and reuniting her kids to sort it out. Dialogues are bad, poorly convincing and the girl's different personalities are full of clichés. Really don't get how it's rated with more than three or four stars.

A lot of people were raving about this film so I was excited to watch it but also expected to be a little bit disappointed; as it turns out, the positive reviews were well deserved. This was a beautiful film with enough twists to keep you glued to the screen, and phenomenal acting by all involved. Each of the characters was quirky enough to be unique and memorable whilst still being easy to relate to. Having not seen the play, I approached the film with no knowledge of the plot line outside of the trailer. It's a tear-jerker, although there are laugh out loud moments, and I'm now eager to see this as a stage play as well. Fingers crossed Lifetime will release the film on DVD as I'd really love to watch it again and share with my own sisters, who I think would relate to different characters and appreciate the film in different ways. Beautiful. I have a lot of feelings right now!

I agree with the other reviewers who have noted that this is a fabulous film filled with five strong female characters - the wildly different four sisters (named after cities) who come together after their mother's death. The writing is witty, suspenseful, and with deep character insight... there's not a cliché to be found in this script by Colette Freedman.It is by turns hilarious, touching, surprising, and gasp inducing. The four sisters are acted brilliantly, with Jess Weixler a standout as the writer who tanked after a single best seller, and went home to live with mom. It is she who shows (initially) the most courage, but where this brings the others will surprise you. .. Stana Katic is stunning as the ice princess eldest sister on track to be a judge, with Michelle Trachtenberg on point as a somewhat prissy, uptight woman who harbors her own secrets, and the effervescent Troian Bellisario as the youngest is simply a delight. Flashbacks show both the mom and three of the sisters much younger, and so the cast is almost entirely female (with small but well conceived roles featuring the always excellent Edward Molina and handsome Tom Everett Scott) making this a female dominated film in precisely the way that nearly all Hollywood films are male dominated. And guess what... It's fabulous. Agree with the other reviewer, more of these please.

If you knew someone with ALS and they asked you to end their misery because they were suffering is a hard decision to think about. Everyone has their own individual beliefs which will input on your choice. It's always important to keep in touch with your family members never know what they are going through and you end up regretting it once it's too late.

Actually not a bad movie!!! Enjoyed the acting, the storyline was decent, and it was well thought out. Very nice Lifetime

Amazing movie! There were so many twists and turns. The movie had everything you would want in a good movie. Excellent writing,directing and the actors were superb. Life is complicated and having a close family is so important which is what this movie is all about. This movie is for everyone. I have seen this as a play twice and then on the screen on Lifetime. I see something new each time I see it. The characters have so much depth to them. It is interesting how different the sisters are but how they all come together at the end of the mother's life. Even when a family is dysfunctional, forgiveness is the only thing that matters in the end. My favorite character was Austin. I felt she was the strongest of all the sisters. I felt myself crying and laughing throughout the movie. I also enjoyed the flashbacks.

Sister Cities is an excellent film, everybody in it shines. The subject matter is sure to bring some discussions. I highly recommend it. The chemistry between the four sisters is phenomenal and Jackie Weaver is superb! You'll find yourself laughing, crying and even getting angry with these complicated and very real characters. Everybody was perfectly cast, Jess, Michelle, Stana and Troian and perfect as sisters and even their younger versions are perfectly represented and that includes Amy Smart as the younger version of Jackie Weaver's character. So if you missed it when it aired on Lifetime, be on the look out for repeats and Netflix streaming soon, you really don't want to miss on this movie!

This was really nice... I was a lil' hestitant , I don't know for sure why or where or what gave rise to these fallacious misgivings but after reading some of the imdb reviews I said OK, I'm going for it and I'm sure glad I did. This was really cool, it felt like a nice story was unfolding through the neat characters with interesting and compelling dialogue to boot! Cool job wish I could see the play! Nice writing fine acting and such would love to see more from these artists! Cool!

I'm always interested in seeing independent movies, and often find them much more absorbing than the much hyped blockbusters. Sister Cities proves to be one of the best independent films I have recently seen and one that I have enjoyed the most. This story of a family of dysfunctional sisters coming together after the death of their mother and in the process beginning to understand themselves and each other is beautifully crafted and extremely touching. And, although it is a film written by a woman primarily about women, it is universal in the exploration of grief and how our reactions to death are shaped by our choices in life.