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As we get older, it’s only natural to reflect back on our “good old days”—on our carefree younger years—and wish that we could relive them (or maybe even revise them) just for one night. In their latest comedy, Sisters, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler attempt to do just that.
Sisters stars the comic duo as a pair of very dissimilar siblings. Younger sister Maura (Poehler) is the responsible, grown-up one, while older sister Kate (Fey) is outgoing and unstable. When their parents decide to sell their childhood home, the sisters travel to Orlando to clean up their old rooms. But when they start reading through their old diaries, Maura begins to regret always being the mature, reliable one. So they decide to have one last wild party in their old house, to help Maura make up for lost time.
The set-up of Sisters is a clever one: what if a bunch of middle-aged parents and professionals decided to relive their glory days by throwing a big teenage house party? As you might imagine, things get off to a pretty slow start. The party begins less like a wild weekend bash and more like a stuffy high school reunion, with everyone sitting around the house, sipping their drinks and talking about boring things like their jobs and their kids. But once things start to pick up and people start to let loose, it’s even funnier than the typical teen party movie because of the personalities involved.
And, of course, there’s more to the story than just a couple of forty-somethings throwing a party. These are characters who are dealing with their own middle-aged fears and regrets—not to mention a little bit of family drama (and a budding romance thrown in for kicks). And that makes it more than just another party comedy.
As is often the case with comedies, though, your enjoyment of the film will, for the most part, depend on your own personal tastes. If you love this comic duo, you’ll most likely enjoy their latest outing. After all, Fey and Poehler have some great sisterly chemistry. But many of the characters may quickly grate on your nerves. While Fey gives a strong (and generally natural) comedic performance as the struggling big sister, Poehler often seems to be trying way too hard to be funny as the well-meaning but overly-fussy divorcee. But even she is no match for Maya Rudolph, who goes painfully over-the-top as Kate’s high school rival, Brinda. And let’s face it: when wrestler John Cena is one of the biggest comic highlights of your movie, you might want to go back and rework things a bit.
Sisters definitely has some funny moments—especially for those of us who are well beyond our teen party years. But the clumsy comedy and overcooked performances manage to turn an otherwise delightfully twisted party flick into the kind of awkward bash that, in your younger days, you might have left early.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
