The Book of Stars

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The Book of Stars ★★½ 1999

Penny (Masterson) is the older sister and only support for teenaged Mary (Malone), who suffers from cystic fibrosis. Penny is a jaded, pill-popping hooker while Mary, however, refuses to give up her optomistic outlook on life. With the aid of cantankerous neighbor Professor (Lindo) and a couple of new friends, Mary is determined to change Penny's views as well. Manages to skirt the subject's inherent sentimentality with some winning performances. 98m/C VHS, DVD . Mary Stuart Masterson, Jena Malone, Karl Geary, D.B. Sweeney, Delroy Lindo; D: Michael Miner; W: Tasca Shadix; C: James Whitaker; M: Richard Gibbs. VIDEO