''Riding the Bus with My Sister'' is a 2005

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

that aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

as part of the '' Hallmark Hall of Fame'' anthology series, based on the 2002 memoir of the same name by

Rachel Simon Rachel Simon (born 1959 in Newark, New Jersey) is an American author of both fiction and non-fiction. Her six books include the 2011 novel ''The Story of Beautiful Girl,'' and the 2002 memoir ''Riding the Bus with My Sister''. Her work has been a ...

. The film, like the book, is about the time Simon spent with her sister Beth, who has a developmental disability, and whose lifestyle revolves around riding buses in her home city of Reading, Pennsylvania.

Andie MacDowell Rosalie Anderson MacDowell (born April 21, 1958) is an American actress and former fashion model. MacDowell's known for her starring film roles in romantic comedies and dramas. MacDowell has modeled for Calvin Klein and has been a spokeswoman ...

plays Rachel Simon, while

Rosie O'Donnell Roseann O'Donnell (born March 21, 1962) is an American comedian, television producer, actress, author, and television personality. She began her comedy career as a teenager and received her breakthrough on the television series '' Star Search'' ...

plays Beth. It was directed by Anjelica Huston, with a screenplay by Joyce Eliason. ''Riding the Bus with My Sister'' was filmed in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a Canada 2016 Census, population of 569,353, and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington, ...

, Canada.

Plot

Beth, a woman with an intellectual disability, is dependent on her father, and spends her days riding the fixed route buses in the city of Reading, Pennsylvania where she lives. When her father dies, her sister Rachel comes to stay with her. At first, they fight about Beth's rampant consumption of junk food, resulting in bringing her

cholesterol Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...

levels up, but after six months Rachel realizes that Beth is content with her life.

Differences from the book

Many aspects of the book were altered for the film. These include turning Rachel into a fashion photographer, eliminating an older sister and changing the name of the brother, and having the sisters' father die early in the story (whereas, in real life, he was still alive when the movie aired). The civil rights aspect of the story was also less explicit, the backstory was compressed, both characters were presented as more extreme than they are in the book, and several other characters were composites.

Cast

- Rachel Simon *

- Beth Simon * Richard T. Jones - Jesse * D.W. Moffett - Rick *

Boyd Banks Boyd Banks (born April 16, 1964) is a Canadian stand-up comedian and actor. Background He was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and started in the entertainment industry at 17 when he won a contest for Best Stand Up Comedian in Edmonton, Albert ...

- Henry *Tom Barnett - Bobby *Peter Cockett - Sam *Raven Dauda - Shane *

Jayne Eastwood Jayne Eastwood (born December 17, 1946), also credited as Jane Easton or Jane Eastwood, is a Canadian actress and comedian. She is best known for her film roles as Anna-Marie Biddlecoff in the comedy film ''Finders Keepers'' (1984), Judy the Wai ...

- Estella *Allegra Fulton - Vera * Shauna MacDonald - Nona *

Roberta Maxwell Roberta Farnham Maxwell (born June 17, 1941) is a Canadian stage, film, and television actress. Biography Maxwell began studying for the stage in her early teens. She joined John Clark for two years as the child co-host of his '' Junior Magaz ...

- Valerie *Vijay Mehta - Pradlip *

Charles Officer Charles Officer (October 28, 1975 – December 1, 2023) was a Canadian film and television director, writer, actor, and professional hockey player. Background Charles Officer was born in Toronto, Ontario on October 28, 1972. He was born to a ...

- Xavier *Simon Reynolds - Morros * Angelo Tsarouchas - Mean Eugene

Reception

Unlike the book, the film received negative reviews. O'Donnell's performance as Beth has been criticized for being "over the top."

Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, '' The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terr ...

, ''Variety'', and

Opie and Anthony ''Opie and Anthony'' was an American radio show hosted by Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that aired from March 1995 to July 2014, with comedian Jim Norton serving as third mic from 2001. The show originated in 1994 when Cumia took part in ...

all commented that O'Donnell sounded like

Pee-Wee Herman Pee-wee Herman is a comic fictional character created and portrayed by American comedian Paul Reubens. He is best known for his films and television series during the 1980s. The childlike Pee-wee Herman character developed as a stage act that q ...

. Simon said of the movie: "It's a poignant, moving, and powerful film. It also portrays both characters, as well as the struggles of the special sibling relationship, in a more realistic way than we usually get to see in film, and presents bus drivers as the everyday heroes that I now know them to be. In addition, the movie highlights some of the main themes from my book: Beth's right to live her life by her own choices, the importance of public transportation for a fully independent life, the essential need for friendships in the community, and the challenges and rewards of the sibling bond."

Awards

In 2006 the film was nominated for a

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

for Best Family Television Movie or Special.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 0420128, Riding the Bus with My Sister 2005 television films 2005 films Films shot in Hamilton, Ontario Films directed by Anjelica Huston CBS network films Hallmark Hall of Fame episodes Films scored by Stewart Copeland Films about intellectual disability Films set in Pennsylvania Films about sisters 2000s English-language films Films about disability