In this adaptation of a critically acclaimed play, Oscar-nominated Diane Keaton plays a woman who, after devoting her life to the care of sick relatives, finds herself diagnosed with leukemia and forced to ask her estranged sister and nephews for a bone-marrow transplant. Yes, it's another weepfest in which a family is brought together by tragic news. Yes, there are times when it is less driven by plot than scenes allowing its impressive cast (Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro) to indulge in Great Acting Moments. And yes, there's even a scene of female bonding through makeup. Nonetheless, Marvin's Room is not only sharply written and well-acted, but it's also the rare sort of film that takes an honest and uncompromising look at death and dying. Even if the dialogue occasionally sounds a bit too theatrical, and the humor sometimes misses the mark, this is a smart tearjerker, and one that doesn't condescend toward or attempt to manipulate its audience.