The Other Sister (Film Review)

1999 Buena Vista Pictures
Directed by: Garry Marshall; Written by: Bob Brunner and Garry Marshall
Starring: Juliette Lewis, Diane Keaton, Tom Skerritt, and Giovanni Ribisi
MPAA Rating: PG-13; Running Time: 130 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 4/10

The mentally disabled Carla graduates from boarding school and meets mentally disabled Danny. Her overprotective mother doesn't think Carla can make it on her own, and especially not with Danny. Her father and sisters just want her to be happy. Hijinks attempt to ensue. 
Gary Marshall's filmography is littered with classics, but 1999's The Other Sister is not among them. This ill-advised stab at a mentally disabled rom-com--that sounded wrong and I'm not going to correct it--stumbles and bumbles through its incredibly long and trying runtime. Juliette Lewis and Giovanni Ribisi pour a lot of effort into their lead performances, but...well, those performances just feel a bit wrong. As the overbearing mother character, Diane Keaton finds herself again typecast as a wealthy, shrill woman whose unpleasant nature only adds the the film's unbearable bloat. Overall, The Other Sister would be a massive waste of time, except for the fact that Marshall is no talentless hack, and that Tom Skerrit is a joy as Carla's father, and Poppy Montgomery and Sarah Paulson are delightful as her sisters. The film even contains some solid laughs that aren't at the lead characters' expense. With this cast and Marshall behind the camera, a simple plot tweak...like maybe shifting Lewis and Ribisi to just being the black sheep of their families instead of...what was attempted, along with shredding 30 minutes on the cutting room floor, and this film could be a rom-com classic. Instead, The Other Sister is an awkward oddity, only fitting for the biggest devotees of the genre.