The trailer instantly grabbed my interest showing a young girl named Anna (Abigail Breslin) meeting with a lawyer (Alec Baldwin) about suing her parents for the right to her own body parts. But that comes later.

The story actually begins with a loving couple named Sara and Brian Fitzgerald (Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric) with two kids, Jesse (Evan Ellingston) and Kate (Sofia Vassilieva). When Kate develops leukemia and none of her family members are a match for organ transplanting Sara decides to go for a drastic move by “engineering” a third child that would provide compatible organs for Kate’s survival. That third “donor baby” is Anna.

My Sister's Keeper, based on Jodi Picoult’s bestselling novel, brings up a few ethical questions. Sara appears to be the bad guy because she’s so driven to save Kate’s life she subjects Anna to all sorts of painful medical procedures from as early as Anna’s infancy. But when I put myself in Sara’s shoes it seems logical that the mother would try to save her ailing daughter even if it means that healthy little Anna has to suffer a little. Is Anna being selfish for denying her sister her kidney? She claims to love Kate and has taken care of her through the chemo and nosebleeds and the vomiting so why would she quit now when she has the opportunity to grant Kate an improved lease on life? But then, it is Anna’s body. Though she’s eleven shouldn’t she still have the right to say no the transplant procedure?

Aside from the bizarre legal battle between mother and daughter the film also shows the effects of Kate’s illness on her family. Overall, Kate’s family is highly supportive of Kate but the constant caring of her has taken a toll on those she holds dear. With Sara hovering over Kate she barely has enough attention span left for her husband and other two children. Jesse is almost invisible, Brian has stuck with his wife but her compulsive behavior towards Kate’s upkeep is driving a wedge between them and of course Anna is in an awkward spot still living at home during and after the trial. Then there’s Kate herself. It might appear she’s too busy being sick to notice what’s going on but that is far from the truth. As she endures the cancer symptoms Kate strives to communicate her true desires to her highly devoted mother only to be shushed and pushed into more treatment.

Every once in awhile a character, when he or she has a free moment, will reminisce about happier times with a few unpleasant moments sprinkled in between. These flashbacks helped to flesh out the personalities of the Fitzgerald family members and helped me understand the choices they make in the present. I’d have to say my favorite flashback is from Kate’s past. While receiving treatment at the hospital she meets a young boy named Taylor (Thomas Dekker), another cancer patient. The two hit it off and form a lasting bond that starts with their sickness and then transcends it.

The entire cast was brilliant but the standouts in my eyes were Abigail Breslin (child actress taking on a challenging role and nails it without overdoing it) and Sofia Vassilieva (the dying girl who is still full of life and spirit). Cameron Diaz impressed the socks offa me. I know she can do comedy (The Sweetest Thing) and action (Charlie’s Angels) but the only dramatic thing I’ve ever seen her in was Gangs of New York. I didn’t like the movie and her role was okay but it didn’t blow my mind. My Sister’s Keeper gives Diaz some great material that allows her to show off some of the fury of her dramatic chops. It was nice to see Jason Patric again (once a Lost Boy, always a Lost Boy) and Joan Cusack as the sympathetic yet tough judge presiding over Anna’s delicate case.

Thomas Dekker got a really good deal here. Sure he had to shave his head but “Taylor” is written as the perfect stud. He’s cool enough for leather yet sensitive enough to hold back Kate’s hair as she upchucks in a pail. “Taylor” becomes Kate’s rock and Kate is thrilled to have a guy that not only perfectly understands what she’s going through but also helps her overcome the bad times. It is a chick flick, of course, so the boy is written with the ability to say the right thing at the right time, a good listener, and highly intuitive. Gotta love chick flicks for showing how men are supposed to be.

My Sister’s Keeper could be tagged as a chick flick. Heck, that’s what I called it. There are enough scenes of tenderness and tears to warrant an emergency Kleenex kit. But the story is so fascinating and kinda shocking. I’ve heard jokes about test tube babies and donor babies but to actually see a dramatization of it was mindbending. The ending is tied up neat and pretty, amazingly, but the journey to that blissful conclusion is a bumpy one.

There is a scene where Sara argues with Brian about who’s side he’s on and there are so many sides to consider in this story. Ultimately, one of these various points of view have to win. The question is which side is the right one? Is it Sara who’s just trying to save the life her daughter? Is Anna right in keeping her kidney instead of donating it to her dying sister? And what does Kate really, really want? Watch My Sister’s Keeper and prepare to have those questions answered but be ready for more questions to arise after the film is over.