A story about the years that keep us apart... And the moments that bring us together.
Overview
A leukemia patient attempts to end a 20-year feud with her sister to get her bone marrow.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.0/10
IMDb: 6.7/10
Letterboxd: 3.28/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Metacritic: 67
TMDB: 6.7/10
Director
Jerry Zaks
Production
Tribeca Productions, Miramax, Scott Rudin Productions
Cast
Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Hume Cronyn, Gwen Verdon, Hal Scardino, Dan Hedaya, Margo Martindale, Cynthia Nixon, Kelly Ripa, John Callahan, Olga Merediz, Joe Lisi, Steve DuMouchel, Bitty Schram, Lizbeth Mackay, Helen Stenborg, Sally Parrish
Curator Review
Verdict
A sturdy, actor-driven family drama with real emotional weight, but it can feel stagebound and a little overworked in its sentiment. The performances do most of the heavy lifting, especially the sisterly dynamic at the center.
Best for
viewers who like intimate family melodramas
fans of strong ensemble acting
people in the mood for a tearful but restrained 90s drama
audiences interested in illness-and-reconciliation stories
Skip if
you want a fast-moving plot
you dislike theatrical, dialogue-heavy dramas
you prefer subtle, minimalist filmmaking
you are looking for a light or uplifting watch
Overview
Marvin's Room is one of those mid-90s dramas that lives or dies on performance, and here it mostly lives. The story is simple but potent: a woman facing leukemia reaches out to the estranged sister she has not spoken to in years, forcing old resentments and buried guilt to the surface. It is built around emotional confrontation rather than narrative surprise, and that gives it a very direct, old-fashioned power.
Worth noting
The film can feel a bit like a prestige play transferred to the screen, with some broad emotional beats and a slightly polished TV-movie sheen. Even so, the cast brings it to life. The central performances give the material warmth and bite, and the family tension feels recognizable even when the script leans hard into catharsis.
Bottom line
What lingers is the movie’s interest in damaged people trying, awkwardly, to choose care over pride. It is not especially subtle, but it is sincere, and that sincerity goes a long way if you are open to a serious, performance-first drama.
Top Letterboxd reviews
teodora (4★) · 810 likes
meryl baby im so sorry but you did not fix that wig at all
issy 🥝 (4.5★) · 528 likes
feel pretty confident saying that leo spitting off a balcony at disneyland in this was his entire audition for titanic. james cameron saw that and said that’s it that’s the boy
will (3.5★) · 325 likes
when meryl fixed the wig if anything it went from worse to worser
ambár ᯓ★ (2★) · 268 likes
i prefer that drake song instead
bel (4.5★) · 232 likes
i adore simplistic, comfy films to watch and this was one of them. so sweet and raw. didn’t know i needed this until now.
2003 · Comedy, Drama · 1h 21m · PG-13 · Curator 6.0/10 (51K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Shares the theme of strained family ties, but with a lighter, more indie-scale touch.