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Plot
Outline: The triumphant true story of three sisters who unite in the
face of adversity when one of them is diagnosed with ALS, also known as
Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Jenifer
Estess, a brilliant woman stricken with Lou Gehrig's disease, otherwise
known as ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis).
'JENIFER' opens with shots of Giacomo dancing to the radio in her kitchen
as she gets ready for work, making herself coffee and slamming the refrigerator
door with her foot as she bolts out the door to make it on time to the
theater where she works as a drama producer. These pivotal small moments
make the viewer understand how precious these things will become to Jenifer
once she is stricken with the disease.
We are introduced to her sisters, Valerie and Meredith, brilliantly portrayed
by Jane Kaczmarek and Annabella Sciorra, who show the true bond of 'sisterhood'
as they stick with her through the good and the bad times to help her
deal with her ailing condition. A few small incidents lead Jenifer to
realize that there is something wrong with her. She drops a few things,
loses her balance, finds herself commonly out of breath and the lack of
energy or strength to use her motor skills. Jenifer was only 35 when she
was diagnosed with the disease and Laura San Giacomo brilliantly portrays
her life from herein.
Many cameos throughout the tele-movie are portrayed by different television
personalities. Marisa Tomei plays one of the actresses in the production
Jenifer is involved with at the theater. Scott Wolf plays a would-be blind
date who is turned off by Jenifer's condition. Julianna Margulies is the
psychiatrist-cum-MD Jenifer visits to try and pinpoint the condition that
she has. Camryn Manheim is Jenifer's hard, unsympathetic nurse. Rob Morrow
is the Doctor who eventually joins the ALS Foundation to help research
stem cell growth.
As Jenifer's disease eventually constricts her body from total movement,
the film becomes a fight for her life as the focus turns directly to the
research of stem cell growth on mice and the hopes that one day, humans
may receive the same treatment.
Credited
cast:
Laura San Giacomo .... Jenifer Estess
Jane Kaczmarek .... Valerie
Annabella Sciorra .... Meredith
Alex Gaistman .... Jane Estess
Mallory Margel .... Young Meredith
rest of cast listed alphabetically
Daniel Magder .... Jake
Julianna Margulies .... Jenifer's Pyschiatrist
Rob Morrow
Fisher Stevens
Marisa Tomei .... Actress in play
Bradley White .... Michael
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