By JOYCE GODWIN

HERALD DEMOCRAT

Jodi Piccoult has found a niche in her novels that take on and review social issues. She is careful never to judge in what she writes. She merely presents all sides of an issue.

Her book, "My Sister's Keeper," inspired a movie by the same name. Piccoult's fans will not be disappointed in director Nick Cassavetes and script writer Jeremy Levan's treatment of her story in the film that opened Friday.

There is no shortage of emotion portrayed by a family dealing with the terminal illness of its middle child. Muffled sobs and sniffles could be heard across the full theater when I viewed the PG-13 film Saturday morning.

Kate Fitzgerald (Sofia Vassilieva, TV's "Medium") is a teenager who was diagnosed with leukemia around the age of 4 or 5. Having exhausted all options to find a cure, her parents decided to have a third child, this one engineered with the genetic markers to be a perfect match for Kate.

One of the first statements in the movie sets the tone when Kate's younger sister Anna (Abigail Breslin, "An American Girl") speaks. Her voice was heard over the opening scenes, "I was engineered. Born to save my sister's life."

The story picks up when Sara (Cameron Diaz, "What Happens in Vegas") and Brian Fitzgerald (Jason Patric, "In the Valley of Elah") first learn their young daughter has leukemia, and that she only has a few years to live. That is when the decision was made to have a baby produced in a test-tube and engineered to be a perfect match to be a donor for Kate. Blood from Anna's umbilical cord was harvested for Kate almost immediately after the baby's birth. Throughout the years, Anna donates bone marrow for Kate, and by the time Anna is 11, Kate needs a kidney.

Anna sues her parents for medical emancipation to gain control over her body. Alec Baldwin plays Anna's attorney, Campbell Alexander. The scenes that ensue force the family, and everyone in the theater, to examine the rights and wrongs of an issue where nobody wins.

There is no doubt, the family is close, and Anna is loved just as much as Kate and brother Jessie (Evan Ellingson, TV's "24"). But Kate's illness takes a toll on everyone in the family. Jessie, who suffers from dyslexia, also suffers from emotional neglect because Kate's illness takes up so much of the family's energy. The movie does a good job of showing the viewpoints of each family member through the drama of reacting to Anna's law suit.

Joan Cusack plays the role of the judge, and as the court case plays out, everyone is forced to take a side on this emotional issue.

The acting by this impeccable cast and the production of the film are excellent. Piccoult fans who may be looking for a strict adherence to the book may be a little disappointed with the movie's ending, but this movie is definitely worth the investment of time to watch. Just remember to take tissues.