Sisters

When watching Sisters, you really get a vibe that the leads Amy Poehler and Tina Fey have something really special going as a duo. They both have humor that is not normal for actresses. Both are willing to go the extra mile to be dirty. A duo that seems like they can work with a lot of material. Both have some really good moments in Sisters but even they can't make Sisters survive.


Katie Ellis (Fey) is a loudmouth lady who can't seem to get anything right for herself and who is struggling to raise her daughter Hayley (Madison Davenport). Her sister Maura Ellis (Poehler) is the likely the better sibling of the family who supports herself better then Katie but still, she is not married and her life doesn't seem to be going anywhere. After their childhood home is set to be put on the market, both sisters throw a party at their old house with a lot of nostalgia while family morals are learned and both find out how to better themselves. Sisters is part comedy with some drama elements thrown in.


Right from the get go, it's obvious Fey and Poehler are both meant to lead this film. They have the chemistry and are very likable but Sisters struggles to use them properly. Fey can be so unlikable at times but then she randomly goes through stretches where she is completely fine. There are some very good laughs here between them but they do run out and it seems the film wants way too much out of them. There are no supporting actors to help them. John Cena and John Leguizamo are here in supporting roles and are just so unfunny and neither produce anything to add to the story.

The plot has it's ideas but what comes together is an uneven mess. The party itself looks great and so much good effort was put into it. It's a party though that's very unrealistic at times and runs WAY too long. We never know where this element is meant to go and it doesn't seem to fully connect to the ideas of family morals and the theme of sisters. The script goes every which way and needs more focus.

Sisters is a lost cause ultimately. We just hope Poehler and Fey will be together more in the future and in something better. Even though it is more heavy, go seek out the somewhat similar like Miss You Already from earlier this year which is better. It should also be noted that with Sisters getting the same release date as Star Wars: Force Awakens, it's film fate is not looking very good whatsoever.    

2/5

Miss You Already

Even with her at times making disastrous films and even when her career was pretty much dead in the 90's, I have always supported Drew Barrymore. I grew up watching her in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and it surely put her on the map. I have found most of her comedies especially the ones with Adam Sandler to be very unfunny but still found other comedies of her's like Going the Distance and Fever Pitch to be at least watchable. Even in such a small role, her being in the first Scream was such an iconic scene for horror and herself. Miss You Already is such a nice step for her and something completely different from the usual films we get from Barrymore.

Milly (Toni Collette) and Jess (Barrymore) have been lifelong friends after Jess moves to England in her childhood. Even with different personalities, they have always supported each other. Now Miley is diagnosed with cancer and Jess having her first child, the two must bond together at such an important time.

It will always be a classic film but Toni Collette was really the unsung hero of Sixth Sense. She has been in so many roles and will always have that "mom" vibe. Her character, Milly in this movie brings so much to the table. She is a part rocker, part mom, and part cancer patient. You go through so much with this character and it is really hard not to like her even when she goes through some rough spots. Even with Barrymore bringing that same vibe that she does with every character that she plays, it is still a likable character and you root for her every step of her pregnancy. Also there are good actors like Paddy Considine and Dominic Cooper in the secondary roles.

Miss You Already works on so many levels but being set in Britain helps a lot along the way. The movie is able to use good British humor and British culture that supplements the plot and is important because this is so different for Barrymore who proved she can be effective in a movie with a British plot.

Miss You Already has a lot going for it. It makes you want Toni Collette and Drew Barrymore do more things together because they really are a nice duo. The film likely is going to get overshadowed this weekend by new release Spectre and The Peanuts Movie and that is kind of a shame. 

4/5