''Marvin's Room'' is a 1996 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by Jerry Zaks. The script was written by John Guare and based on the 1990 play ''Marvin's Room'' by Scott McPherson, who died in 1992. McPherson had completed a screenplay for a film version before he died; however, Guare was hired to update it when the film eventually started production. It stars Meryl Streep,

Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...

Diane Keaton Diane Keaton (née Hall; born January 5, 1946) is an American actress. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Diane Keaton, various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, including an Academy Award, a Bri ...

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor, director, and film producer. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of List of awards and ...

, Hume Cronyn, Gwen Verdon and Hal Scardino. Original music for the film was composed by

Rachel Portman Rachel Mary Berkeley Portman (born 11 December 1960)), a collection of original pieces for piano, violin and cello, with Portman playing the piano. In 2023 she released a second album ''Beyond the Screen – Film Works on Piano'' which features ...

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Billboard Hot 100, top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation (song), Anticipatio ...

wrote and performed the theme song "Two Little Sisters", with Meryl Streep adding background vocals. For her performance, Keaton received nominations for the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a lead ...

, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role. Streep was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Plot

Marvin, a man who had a stroke 20 years ago, is left incapacitated and bedridden. He has been given care by his daughter Bessie in their

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

home, and ignored by his other daughter Lee, who moved to Ohio with her husband 20 years ago and has not since contacted her family. Bessie's doctor has informed her that she has

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

(the same disease from which her and Lee's mother died in their youth) and needs a bone marrow transplant, so she turns to her sister for help. Lee, in turn, turns to her 10-year-old son Charlie and 17-year-old son Hank, the latter of whom has been in a mental institution for setting fire to his mother's house. However, the rebellious Hank says that he will not submit to the test to find a bone-marrow match. Nevertheless, they all travel to stay with Bessie. When Lee learns that she may have to take over her father's care, she begins shopping for

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...

s, fearing that she will have to uproot her life. Eventually, however, the estranged family grows closer, and Hank agrees to get tested. As Bessie seems to get progressively worse, and testing reveals that the boys are not a match as bone-marrow donors, Lee comes to terms that it is now her turn to take care of her family. She familiarizes herself with her father's medications and walks into his room with his lunch to see Bessie flashing sunlight off the mirror that often makes Marvin smile.

Cast

Production

Reception

The film holds an 84% approval rating on

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Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 6.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "''Marvin's Room'' rises above the pack of dysfunctional family dramas thanks to an impeccable cast that includes Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton, and Leonardo DiCaprio."

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

gave the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on 20 critical reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. The film grossed $12.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $30 million worldwide.

Accolades

References

External links

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''Marvin's Room''
at

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Marvin's Room 1996 films 1996 drama films 1996 independent films American drama films American independent films Films about cancer in the United States Films about dysfunctional families Films about sisters American films based on plays Films shot in Florida Films shot in New Jersey Films shot in New York City Films produced by Scott Rudin Films scored by Rachel Portman Films about mother–son relationships Miramax films 1996 directorial debut films 1990s English-language films 1990s American films English-language drama films English-language independent films