Sisters (2015)

"I've been thinking..."

"Why?"

The Ellis sisters, Kate (Fey) and Maura (Poehler) used to throw epic parties.  Kate was the wild life of the party, while Maura was the "party mom" who kept everyone safe.  Decades later, Kate has a teenage daughter, Haley (Davenport), and can't keep a job, while Maura is still recovering from a divorce and trying to fix everyone.  When their parents (Brolin and Wiest) put their childhood home up for sale, the sisters are livid.  They are even more angry when they learn that the house is already sold to a yuppie couple.

While cleaning out their old bedroom, they decide to throw one last party in the house.  They invite all their old friends from high school and the carpenter who lives down the street, James (Barinholtz), who catches Maura's eye.  Kate's nemesis Brinda (Rudolph) calls the party desperate, but secretly wants an invite.  Can they let loose like they used to?


After the success of Baby Mama in 2008, fans were wondering when Tina Fey and Amy Poehler would star in another film.  This time they play against type and switch roles: Poehler is the responsible Maura who takes care of everyone, while Fey is Kate the wild party girl.  The switch works and is refreshing.  You expect Fey to be neurotic, because that is the type of character she has played before.  And you expect Poehler to be the loose cannon, because she's perfected that... but it is fun to see them play the other side.

The cast is populated with other SNL alum (and current cast members), along with actors they worked with on other projects.  Maya Rudolph is fun as Kate's uptight nemesis Brinda.  Ike Barinholtz, who plays Morgan on The Mindy Project, is great as the romantic lead, while John Cena steals the show as drug dealer Pazuzu.  James Brolin and Dianne Wiest are great as their parents, and Greta Lee is funny as Hae-Won.  The chemistry of the cast is great, especially between Fey and Poehler.

The script is written by Paula Pell, who worked with them on SNL and their TV shows.  Pell plays Dana, who Kate is living with at the beginning of the film.  The story is good, but raunchy and a little uneven at times.  But the cast makes up for any deficiencies in the script.

Funny, but not for everyone.  Looking forward to the next collaboration between these two funny women.

Sisters (2015) 118 minutes
Rating: R for crude sexual content and language throughout, and for drug use
Director: Jason Moore
Starring: Tina Fey as Kate Ellis
Amy Poehler as Maura Ellis
Maya Rudolph as Brinda
Ike Barinholtz as James
Dianne Wiest as Deana Ellis
James Brolin as Bucky Ellis
John Cena as Pazuzu
Madison Davenport as Haley
John Leguizamo as Dave
Bobby Moynihan as Alex