Remember friends, The Force Awakens isn't the only film arriving today, even though it may be taking the lion's share of your multiplex's screens and dominating the cultural landscape. Limited audiences finally have Cannes favorite and Foreign Language Oscar frontrunner Son of Saul and the masses also have Sisters and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip *shhhh, keep walking*.
Sisters is an interesting choice for counter-programming against the behemoth, but should satisfy its own crowds looking for a steady stream of laughs. The film would face more trouble without the trustworthy chemistry between stars Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, as it strains to set up relationships (and not just of its leads) and conflict in a murky and bumpy first act. Once Poehler and Fey are given the room to shine, the film finally finds its footing and becomes the laugh riot you were hoping for.
Essentially a house party movie, nurturing Maura (Amy Poehler) and partyhound Kate (Tina Fey) host a throwback fiesta at the home of their parents (Diane Wiest & James Brolin) before it is sold off to yuppies. It starts off as an exciting type reversal from their roles together in Baby Mama, but Sisters suffers from inconsistent and incomplete character development - even though it is funnier than the former film by a country mile.
Frustratingly, Sisters flirts with deeper emotional observations that it never allows itself to dive into, never allowing the audience into characters that we'd actually like to know a little more about - especially since it's gifted with two stars who are capable of surprising us. When the laughs aren't mile-a-minute, you're left wanting a little more and Paula Pell's script hints at deeper insights before dropping them like hot potatoes. Fey bears much of that burden as the film never decides how to paint her hard-partying screw up, forced into a performance that vacillates wildly from overly broad to undercooked. Naturally, her funniest and most believable moments come when she falls somewhere in the middle.
On the other hand, Poehler is given less to work with as Sisters is more interested in the particulars of her squareness, but not of her divorce that it never delves deeper into than its existence. Thankfully, her jokes aren't fueled by a prude stereotype that you might otherwise expect. There's a real lack of romantic chemistry shared between her and love interest Ike Barinholtz, even though he surprises with charm and less broski humor than we've seen from him.
Director Jason Moore never finds that balance here between heart and hilarity like he did on the stage with Avenue Q, but he knows how to back off when this rollicking ensemble is on a roll here much as he did with Pitch Perfect. What feels like a set up for a barrage of cameos surprises for how long the recognizable faces stick around. Don't expect quick hi-and-goodbyes from the likes of Maya Rudolph, John Cena, and Rachel Dratch, and some even match the comic heights of the lead duo.
Early clunkiness aside, the film is a blast of almost unrelenting laughs once it gets moving. Any reuniting of Fey and Poehler feels like a treat, and it's a testament to their chemistry that it can withstand even such shaky character development.
Grade: C
Laughs: B+