A mother and daughter scam, a seance, a shocking revelation... A Victorian melodrama with startling diversions to the 12th century.

Isabel (Julia Roberts) is a young woman attempting to juggle a relationship with her boyfriend Luke (Ed Harris), her new role as mother of his two children and her career as a photographer. Her biggest challenge though is to maintain peace with Jackie (Susan Sarandon), Luke's ex-wife. Isabel can not compare with Jackie. She is unable to cook, can't remember to clean the kids' favourite clothes, or pick up the kids from school on time. Then she learns that Jackie is dying of cancer and the ailment brings the two women together in mutual admiration and everyone finally becomes a functional extended family. The film's use of cheap sentiment to supply easy and false resolutions to agonising issues is dishonest and distasteful. Complex family dynamics relating to divorce, remarriage, parenting and terminal illness are reduced to bitchiness, catfighting, clichs and the flagrant pushing of emotional buttons. The cast does its best with rather tawdry material.