A coming-of-age familial comedy and a somewhat interesting spin on the house party movie, Sisters sees Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in great form together but is nonetheless fairly forgettable. The duo have a contagiously fun onscreen chemistry, clearly enjoying being more crass than we normally see them. They’re obviously real-life pals and as they drop dozens of F-bombs, make poo jokes and generally behave badly, they add a lot of heart to what is otherwise only a mildly entertaining film.
House party flicks are a dime a dozen but they can be fantastic – Project X is a widely underrated modern example of the genre done just right. By having desperate old people throw the drug-fuelled shindig in an effort to recapture their glory days and make things right between them, Sisters finds originality within the subgenre and can even be read as a parody of it.
If only more of the gags were solid and the pace didn’t drag as often.
There are a lot of clunkers and average humour throughout, but there are a few solid knee-slappers too. A conversation Poehler’s character has with a nail salon worker that plays on white people’s efforts to pronounce foreign names properly is one of the funniest bits. It’s extremely simple, but executed superbly and it had me in stitches.
Even when the jokes don’t work well at all, Fey and Poehler are consistently fun to spend time with. Their fans will no doubt forgive the mediocrity of the film to do so, but others may find it a bit of a bore. Maya Rudolph and John Cena are standouts among the supporting cast.
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