The Russell Girl

Synopsis

Sarah (Amber Tamblyn) is a young woman who has recently discovered that she has leukemia right before she also discovers that she has been accepted to Northwestern University's medical program. She decides to put her school on hold so she can travel back home to tell her parents Gayle (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and Phil (Tim DeKay) about her recent diagnosis. However at the same time Sarah is convinced that this is retribution for a tragic accident that involved her neighbor Lorainne's (Jennifer Ehle) baby.

Cast

Reception

Critical reception has been mixed. Time Out gave The Russell Girl three stars, commenting that it "ultimately feels a touch slight, like a decent short story that’s diluted when expanded into a novel, but it’s got enough substance to do good things for Tamblyn’s career." Post Gazette praised the film for its acting but commented that "Because this is a Hallmark Hall of Fame production, never doubt that reconciliation, communication, hope and family will triumph." USA Today panned the film as being too overly familiar, as they felt it was the "same old Hallmark stuff".