Marvin's Room
Marvin's Room is a play by
Scott McPherson which tells the story of a man who had a stroke 17 years ago and has spent all of the time vegetating in his bedroom. He has been cared for by his daughter Bessie, and virtually ignored by his other daughter, Lee. But now Bessie's doctor has informed her that she has
leukemia and needs a
bone marrow transplant, and she turns to her sister for help. Lee, in turn, turns to her son Hank, who has been committed to a mental asylum for setting fire to his mother's house. When Lee finds that she may have to take over her father's care, she at first begins shopping around for
nursing homes. Eventually, the sisters and Lee's two sons begin to grow close to each other, and to their father, Marvin.
The play was made into a
1996 film, adapted by McPherson and directed by
Jerry Zaks. It stars
Meryl Streep,
Leonardo DiCaprio,
Diane Keaton,
Robert De Niro,
Hume Cronyn,
Gwen Verdon,
Hal Scardino and
Dan Hedaya. Original music for the film was provided by
Rachel Portman and has
Carly Simon singing the theme song "Two Little Sisters" with Meryl Streep adding background vocals.
The movie was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Actress (
Diane Keaton).
