Decoding Annie Parker

This film has it all! Humorous, heart-touching, authentic performances of the real life struggles of genius geneticist Dr. Mary-Claire King in her tireless efforts to find the genetic link in breast and ovarian cancer--the BRCA gene--and Canadian Annie Parker, a young woman who must face one of the greatest fears of all women. Samantha Morton's portrayal of Annie Parker is brilliant, heart-felt and sometimes, painfully real.

I've seen the movie three times, and each time I get more from it. Helen Hunt's performance of Dr. King is right on target, and the entire cast adds even more depth, warmth and personality to this important work. Steven & Adam Bernstein's script, Steven's direction, excellent cinematography, and an all-star cast combine to create a film that is exploding the awareness of people around the world in a way that both entertains and educates.

On top of that, this movie is changing lives every day. Audiences are giving it standing ovations, and for the next several months at least, the producers have authorized charitable screenings of the movie to raise awareness and funds for breast and ovarian cancer research and patient support. It couldn't be any better! CONGRATULATIONS to all involved.

The subject matter is quite heavy but is told with sincerity and real-person humor. The title may seem a trifle misleading since the contact between Annie and the researcher is tangential at best -- they meet only once. The the "decoding" goes beyond finding and sequencing the BRCA1 gene. We witness the unwrapping of emotions and the development of a life-fulfilling spirit in Annie and many of the people to whom she is connected. Some relationships work, other don't, but at its core the film remains true to its belief in Annie's undying spirit. The only negative that keeps my review from being a 10 is that a few of the scenes in which the finding the BRCA1 gene proceeds are stiff and almost formulaic, in stark contrast to the reality of the rest of the film. Go see it and you will be talking about it to many of your friends.

Bravo to Steve Bernstein for making this important film that starts the conversation about hereditary cancer. Bernstein manages to weave the "remarkable" Annie Parker's personality and humor throughout this film of serious subject matter; ultimately providing bursts of laughter just when you are thinking you might need to reach for that huge handkerchief to wipe your tears. "A" rated performances from Samantha Morton (Annie) and Aaron Paul. Rashida Jones shines brightly in her supporting role. Heartfelt, humorous, and honest...you will go home thinking about your family and family history. Knowing it is a true story, you will find yourself thinking about the "real" Annie Parker and her incredible spirit--at the very least, for the rest of your week.

Review: This movie really did touch me, because a couple of my family members have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer. The emotional strain that this terrible disease puts on a family, was shown in this movie and I must admit, it did bring a tear to my eye. The fact that they haven't found a cure for this disease, is extremely worrying for everybody in day to day life, so when Mary-Claire King found a connection through the family gene it was truly an amazing thing. More and more people are testing for the disease, especially if it's in there family, so this movie brought to light how certain cancers are passed through our siblings, genetically. The performance from Samantha Morton is excellent, especially when she was going through chemo the second time and the technical side of Mary-Claire's work is easy to understand and interesting to follow. It did seem like the film was made for TV, mainly because I have seen a lot of movies that cover this subject matter on TV but it's still an emotional drama which I thoroughly enjoyed. I will warn you to have a box of tissues next to you when you watch this film because it's an touching roller-coaster that a lot of people can relate to. Enjoyable!

Round-Up: This is the first movie written and directed by Steven Bernstein, who done a great job by bringing a medical milestone to light. It didn't get the big distribution treatment like a lot of uninteresting movies that I have seen lately, which is a shame because the subject matter is becoming more popular to households across the world. I must admit, you do have to be in the right frame of mind before you watch this film because it does touch many issues which can be a bit too  emotional for people who are suffering with cancer. With that aside, it's still worth a watch, just to see what Marie-Claire had to go through to bring her findings to light.

I recommend this movie to people who are into their dramatic movies starring Rashida Jones, Aaron Paul, Helen Hunt, Samantha Morten, Alice Eve, Maggie Grace, Corey Stoll and Ben McKenzie. 6/10

Annie Parker (Samantha Morton) suffers many losses. Her mother, father, and older sister all died from cancer. It's the 1970's. She is obsessed with checking for lumps and eventually she also gets breast cancer. Her husband Paul (Aaron Paul) is a pool cleaner. Louise (Alice Eve) is her younger sister. Dr. Gold (Corey Stoll) suspects a genetic cause but he is refuted by more experienced doctor. At UC Berkeley, research genetic scientist Mary-Claire King (Helen Hunt) is trying to map the human genome but the task is overwhelming. Her team is on a long, winding search for the cause of breast cancer and the discovery of the responsible gene.

Morton and her side of the story is very compelling with surprising humor and infinite humanity. The Helen Hunt side is less compelling. I can think of several ways to increase the tension but her side is inherently less dramatic. It's more scientific and less humane. It could have enlightened some of the science but that may be asking too much. It leaves me to wonder if concentrating solely on Annie Parker would be more intriguing.