Good movie but grossly overrated

Absolutely Fantastic

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

First off I have raised two mentally challenged children and Rosie's portrayal is not far off from what some of these children act like. My family and I enjoyed this movie a lot and thought all the actresses and actors did well with what they had.Bob Fingerman- Should be horse wiped by all the people that he's labeling "retards", in his comment. How dare you ! Go back to not believing in anything, because your mind is as lost as your sole. You said it yourself that you now believe in Satan and that's a shame that you'd only believe in the one who destroys. It just shows what kind of a person you really are.If you took the time Bob to work with these type of people, or had raised any of them, you'd know that they are so diverse in how they act, talk, etc. A lot of them are very smart and just because they were born with difficulties, does not mean that you can call them names or down grade them. Seems that you are right among them, in lacking social skills and speaking harsh, because you don't have the knowledge to know that it's not right to speak to people with harshness.It's one thing to judge an actor, or actress, but to put down the person they are portraying is just wrong ! If one day you do get a chance to be blessed to be around one of these mentally challenged people and grow to like or even love them, then my words will come back to you. You will see that even using the word was wrong on your part. Sorry but your post was just a slap in the face to me, because I AM the mother of two of these children and I don't take kind to anyone bashing their problems, because to me? They are the best gift the world could have gotten. They make you slow down and look at life and learn what "real love" is all about. I'm sorry you're missing out on that.

I thought this was a very touching and human story. I cannot even begin to comprehend why it has received such a poor rating on this site, but my family and I loved it and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys decent and honest stories with very real, human characters and very insightful and at times confronting observations on life. I agree with the comment made by another user who thought that Rosie O'Donnell deserves an Oscar for her portrayal of Beth. This film made me laugh and cry! I thought it was simply wonderful and entirely endearing. Well done to everyone who created it and love to the real people behind its characters :)

You'd have to be completely heartless not to be moved by this film. The characters are deep and the plot simple so it's easy to stay involved in their story. If you're a sin city-type or violence crazed testosterone pumped numb-skull then don't expect to enjoy this-but then you wouldn't watch it would you! This has a tone on par with Ghost but admittedly not as good or heart-wrenching. Amongst other movies of its type involving the mentally disabled this movie is unique in emphasising not the weaknesses but the strength of Beth as she moves about her life despite having lost her father and carer. Her independence is founded in her routine and the knowledge of the people she knows through it. A light-hearted, heartwarming story with emphasis on the important things in life and how priorities change.

I have worked with developmentally challenged children and young adults, and found Rosie O'Donnell's performance excellent. While Dustin Hoffman and Geoffrey Rush portrayed characters who were obviously handicapped, Rosie portrayed a character as we often perceive the mentally handicapped - looking "normal", and at first seeming "normal", then realizing that there is something different.Previous posts complained that they were looking for laughs, but the synopsis, trailers and excellent book by Rachel Simon promised a touching story about the relationship between two sisters. Check out http://www.rachelsimon.com.This is a network TV movie, a genre seldom equated with great film-making. Needing to sell to advertisers, Hallmark is not known for edgy, innovative films. What they promise is what they delivered in "Riding the Bus With My Sister" - a touching story simply told, that did not manipulate for sympathy, but instead sought understanding of the challenges faced by those with developmental disabilities.This film is not going to make some aspiring film student (as one post derided) a great filmmaker. It's not going to be remembered in the annals of time...but if perhaps, through the effortless and realistic portrayal of Rosie O'Donnell, it inspires you to be a bit more patient and empathetic of someone with a developmental disability, then this film will have its own very worthwhile legacy.