By Mark Saldana
Rating: 3.5 (Out of 4 Stars)
If one loves when Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host the Golden Globe awards, then have I got an awesome recommendation! The witty and hilarious comedy duo portrays totally opposite siblings going through a midlife crisis, and their vain attempts at recapturing their excitement and energy of their much wilder youth is an absolute blast from start to finish. Fey and Poehler have previously starred together in Baby Mama, but it took a few years before they made a film together. After watching this riotous pair deliver pure comedy gold in Sisters, I hope they pair up on a more regular basis.
Fey and Poehler star as Katie and Maura Ellis, two sisters who are not only having trouble coming to terms with the problems of life and aging, but are also having to cope with their parents’ decision to sell their childhood home. Before their mother (Dianne Wiest) and father (James Brolin) finalize the sale, Katie and Maura decide to throw a high school reunion party similar to the wild bashes they had during their teen years. Despite the maturity of the people in attendance, the addition of alcohol and drugs, and the subtraction of responsible behavior make for a night the sisters and their old friends will never forget.
Written by SNL writer Paula Pell and directed by Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect), Sisters may very well be the funniest movie of the year. As I watched this film, I felt myself smiling throughout most of it, and laughing quite often—even to the point of tears a few times. Fey and Poehler’s acting, comic timing and delivery and Pell’s outstanding writing make for some of the most fun I ever had at a theater this year. The story and themes may not be all that original or inventive, but the real inventiveness comes from the jokes and hilarious lines.
Even though this show mostly belongs to Fey and Poehler, their supporting cast also comes through in a big way when the stars are either off-screen or playing it more straight. In addition to Wiest and Brolin who have some funny moments of their own, Fey and Poehler recruited some of their SNL buddies such as Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Bobby Moynihan, Kate McKinnon, and Chris Parnell. The movie also features John Cena, John Leguizamo, Greta Lee, and Madison Davenport. Moynihan definitely steals the show as the high school class clown wannabe. His schtick takes a little time to build up laughs, but when it gains momentum it is uproarious.
The overall film, on the other hand, doesn’t take too long to deliver laughs. It does have its peaks and valleys, but this is highly necessary. The audience needs breaks from smiling and laughing, because they’d otherwise leave the theater experiencing facial and abdominal pain. Moore and Pell pace the humor well, and the cast members perform it beautifully. The humor does get a little risqué and raunchy at times, and this may not appeal to everyone. Still, if one doesn’t mind their humor a little freaky and naughty, but smartly done, Sisters is a film I would highly recommend.