User reviews

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are two of the funniest comedians working right now. Sisters feels like the vehicle they need to play out any absurd fantasy they wanted to with no shortage of laughs. In that regard, Sisters is fairly hit or miss. The chemistry between the two of them is electric, and there are a handful of good laughs scattered amidst the almost two-hour runtime. The problems stem from the writing itself. I have no doubt most of the comedic scenes in the movie are improvised, but the forced drama is what drags out the movie. It had no reason to push the two-hour mark. An hour-and-a-half of these shenanigans would have been perfect. By the time the party is over, it feels like the movie could've been wrapped up in the next five minutes, but it continues for another 20 or so minutes with no laughs whatsoever.

The party scene itself is great, though. The entire plot is based around this party that the sisters want to throw in their childhood home before their parents sell it. Once all the supporting cast shows up, including the ever-hilarious John Cena in another eccentric tough-guy role, it becomes a riot. The scene itself takes up about half the movie's runtime, thankfully. It's the stories surrounding it, like the forced drama between the parents and the whole arc of the sisters having to get their act together, that drags the film down. It's roughly half comedy and half drama, with the comedy elements hitting and the dramatic elements missing.

When compared to other female led comedies like Bridesmaids, Sisters doesn't really hold up. It's not as funny, it's far too long, and the dramatic beats don't work. But as its own vehicle for Fey and Poehler, Sisters shows a lot of promise, and hopefully they will have a better project together soon.

Another 2 hour flick!!! After sitting for 2 hours and having about a total of 12 minutes of a few smiles and giggles, your butt is going to be blistered with frustration.

Sisters is not a bad movie! It isn't an unfunny movie. It's a good movie but - for me - Amy Poehler, Tina Fey just didn't pull the laughs out of the bag as they do in skits on television. Plus it's two hours long and all you get out of that two hours is occasional smiles & giggles. You get tired of sitting and waiting for the big moment of really laughing, which unfortunately never showed up. The big long party scene becomes just that - too long - and the sight gags and shenanigans of the 40 plus year old participants never jells into fun for the viewer.

Sorry but this flick is just another example of Hollywood cashing in on hot popularity. This time it's the team of Amy Poehler & Tina Fey being offered, no doubt, a fantastic payoff to appear in a rather bloated production of a very thin plot line of a story.

I'm sure it will be on DVD very soon!

I like this movie. It makes me and all my gal friends laugh. Why? Because it's pretty real to life. Parties get out of hand, people get drunk and contemplate the meaning of life, nervous flirting with guys, parents make decisions that make you feel lost. I honestly don't know how anyone can absolutely hate this movie. Judd Apatow does the same $hit but with an all male cast and it gets high ratings, but somehow this movie is considered trash? Hmmm....

If you put Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in a film together, I'm going to see it!

The two of them separately are awesome but when you put them together it's gold andfr-0 Sisters is no different.

Don't get me wrong; it's predictable and the story isn't the best but the laughs make up for that! Fey and Poehler were amazing and so funny in this as was Maya Rudolph.

Have to give kudos to John Cena for making yet another hilarious cameo in a comedy movie.

I got a bit boring in the last act when all the drama kicked in and I didn't think the ending was too great either.

It may be predictable but this is still a very entertaining movie, if you liked these ladies on SNL or any of their other work; you should see this.

Will definitely watch this again and may even buy it when it goes on a sale.

CHAPPY THINKS Tina Fey and Amy Poehler need to star in a movie together at least once a year!

The Saturday Night Live (SNL) alumni are back...well, three of them at least. If you like the sketches from that iconic show which has provided the movie world with comedic actors ranging from Steve Martin to Eddie Murphy, you should enjoy this raunchy, smutty and crude comedy. It's definitely not for everyone's tastes with jokes likely to offend conservative viewers. Just like comedy skits from these types of TV shows, some of the jokes succeed resulting in uproarious laughter while others produce a mere snigger or nothing at all. At close to two hours, the movie tends to overstay its welcome and could have benefited from a 15-20 minute edit to eliminate the jokes that didn't work. 

The titular sisters are Maura (Amy Poehler) and Kate (Tina Fey). Both Ellis women are experiencing setbacks in their lives. Maura is coming off a divorce while Kate simply refuses to grow up even though she is the mother of a teenage daughter (Madison Davenport). They don't need any more complications but another one arises when the Ellis' parents (James Brolin and Dianne Weist) Skype Maura to inform her that they intend to sell the family home. Maura's job is to entice Kate to return home and together, they must clean out their bedroom which has remain untouched since they moved out of home. When they discover that their home has already been sold and their parents are now staying in a retirement home, they plan a farewell party at their family home before they must vacate the premises.

There's nothing subtle about this comedy here, mainly vulgarity of the highest order. Since this viewer doesn't mind sex comedies, there wasn't anything offensive although it's easy to see why many people wouldn't like this movie. Dirty jokes aside, the story does have something to say about the family unit but luckily doesn't preach to its audience. 

Sisters occasionally feels like an extended sketch comedy show, albeit raunchy in nature. Jason Moore is the director and his only other directing credit is Pitch Perfect, which is tame compared to the humour in Sisters. Paula Pell is the writer who has mainly written gags for SNL so this is probably the main reason why it feels like sketch comedy at times. 

It might frustrate some viewers to see some overacting from several cast members to extend the life of a particular joke but that can sometimes be representative of comedy sketches. When the jokes do fire, the overstated gestures, expressions and voices actually help. Maya Rudolph is one of the actresses who fits in this category of overacting at times but when she pulls it off, she is absolutely hilarious. She plays Brinda, the childhood enemy of the Ellis girls who hasn't been invited to their party but gatecrashes it anyway. Another larger than life character is Alex (Bobby Moynihan), the nerd who runs rampant when he takes some drugs supplied by drug dealer, Pazuzu (John Cena). Watch out for Greta Lee who plays Hae- Won, the Korean beauty consultant who steals some of the laughs from her more illustrious co-stars. 

Poehler, Fey and Rudolph are the ex-cast members of SNL and they seem to be having a riotous time, with their antics pleasing viewers who enjoy this type of comedy. Don't take it seriously, open your mind and go along for the ride, you're bound to experience more than a few laughs and even more so if you're a fan of gutter humour. http://mlaimlai2.wix.com/magical-movie-review

Not funny, awkward at best, very shallow theme throughout, middle aged women prancing around like kids, not convincing in their roles.. Annoyed that I wasted my evening..

I have never written a review before, but I was moved by my disappointment. All the publicity and promotion. I expected more.

There isn't really much of a story line to critique. It fails in every aspect. The script lacks depth, the jokes are poor, visually there is nothing exceptional to remark on.

Light hearted movies with poor scripts at least keep the audience entertained with visuals (e.g attractive cast/nice cars/art/architecture/fun parties etc). Sadly this movie also fails to this regard...

What went wrong? Tina and Amy were so funny together on SNL and the Golden Globes. You would think another movie starring the both of them would be another hit.

This was just painful. Nothing happened. It's basically a gender-swapped Step Brothers. It's people, on the verge of 50, acting like children. In Step Brothers, it was hilarious because it showed the baffled reactions of everyone around the two main characters as they acted like buffoons. In this movie, nobody seems to react to how ridiculous these two are. In fact, everyone around them is equally immature. All these over-the-top characters kept popping up. Maya Rudolph plays a bitter "mean" girl, John Leguizamo plays a STD ridden sex freak, and Bobby Moynihan plays the former class clown that nobody thought was funny. Moynihan actually, quite barely, saves this movie from being absolutely unbearable, because his character was basically a walking non-sequitur (ala Brick Tamland, Ralph Wiggum).

It's just an odd set of really, unfunny jokes. That's it. Gags that don't set up and lead to nowhere. The only shred of a story that exists is hastily established and wrapped up within the final 20 minutes of the movie. They just weren't thinking while making this.

It's the pairing of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler that's immensely appealing about "Sisters." There doesn't even really need to be a movie to support the co-stars, as the very idea of shenanigans hosted by two of the top comedians working today is enough to satisfy. However, there is a feature to go along with the billing, and "Sisters" is a modestly successful one, dedicated to showcasing various levels of silliness from Fey and Poehler, who were last seen together in 2007's "Baby Mama." While it ends up overstaying its welcome, perhaps mirroring the house party crisis at the center of the story, the film is entertaining, often content to sit back and let the actresses weave their special brand of absurdity.

Maura (Amy Poehler) is recently divorced, maintaining an uptight life of responsibility, which allows her parents, Bucky (James Brolin) and Deana (Dianne Wiest), to share the uncomfortable news that they're selling her childhood home. Kate (Tina Fey) is Maura's hotheaded, unemployed sibling, and she doesn't take word of the sale well, with the pair forced to clean out their rooms before inspection time with potential buyers. Revisiting their childhood, the sisters decide to throw one last party, inviting all their high school pals, while trying to exclude judgmental wet blanket Brinda (Maya Rudolph). Working with booze, lesbian DJs, and free rein of the house, the celebratory pair pushes the initially sedate gathering into craziness while also dealing with personal issues, including Kate's habitual irresponsibility and Maura's interest in friendly neighbor James (Ike Barinholtz).

"Sisters" is scripted by "Saturday Night Live" writer Paula Pell, who certainly isn't interested in a pushover sense of humor. The picture is a hard R-rated affair that's filled with drug-induced debauchery, foul language, and a degree of gross-out humor, trying its best to live up to the promise of its premise as Maura and Kate experience the best night of their lives. Mercifully, Pell isn't persistently aggressive, opening "Sisters" with necessary introductions that capture sibling personalities, finding Maura maintaining household order with her beloved dog, still unsteady from a divorce that disrupted her future plans. Kate is doing odd beautician jobs at home after being recently fired, with daughter Haley (Madison Davenport) giving up on her mother, taking off to a secret life. The need to reconnect with youth is handled nicely by Pell, who gets the sisters where they emotionally need to be in a hurry, maintaining a steady rhythm of motivations and silliness as Maura and Kate return to Orlando, Florida, ready to raise hell.

Chaos eventually erupts when the festivities begin, but "Sisters" is best when focused intensely on Maura and Kate's interplay, watching them deal with the reality of aging by clinging to childhood distractions as they revisit their adolescence. Their shared bedroom is a wellspring of nostalgia, and director Jason Moore ("Pitch Perfect") soaks up the strange atmosphere, highlighting play time between the sisters as they monkey around with toys and trinkets and revisit disparate sexual development misadventures through shared diary passages, identifying when their personalities diverged. It's terrifically funny stuff simply because it completely belongs to Fey and Poehler, who are a mighty team with sharp timing and a willingness to goof around when the moment requires a little comedic messiness. The plot eventually gets in the way, but when "Sisters" merely asks the stars to play, the humor is irresistible.

Once the party commences, "Sisters" loses steam, though it offers a hilarious view of fortysomethings dealing with their domesticity and advancing years, while the supporting cast includes Rachel Dratch, Bobby Moynihan, Kate McKinnon, and John Cena (playing a hulking drug dealer named Pazuzu), with everyone landing solid one-liners and communicating nervous breakdowns. But Pell is determined to maintain heart, focusing on Maura's tentative relationship with James and Kate's immaturity, which is challenged by her daughter. Dramatic interests and sweetness don't come naturally to the feature, and at nearly two hours in length, the effort could use another editorial pass. However, "Sisters" has pockets of hilarity, which saves it from becoming another formulaic drag, always more compelling when it permits Fey and Poehler to work their natural chemistry and explore escalating instability.

3.5/stars

Sisters is one of the worst movies I have seen in 10 years. I love big laugh movies, especially those that lean toward just being silly, but this movie was just one bad joke to another. I thought the cast of Tina and Amy, plus a a few funny support people, were enough to carry it, but I was wrong. I was ready to leave 20 minutes in.

Each time my family sees a movie we rate it on a four point scale. My daughter, who is 18, gave Sisters 2.5 stars. My wife and I, 44 and 43, gave it one. There is some modest humor that my teen appreciated, but most jokes left me saying, "that was just bad."

I am a person that goes to a movie to be entertained. Ratings don't usually influence my decision to see a movie, especially a comedy where I know it is going to be dumb humor. For this one, I can't help but leave a review in an effort to save someone else a few bucks.

Save your money and rent this movie when it becomes available.

It's not the best thing Amy Poehler and Tina Fey have ever done but it definitely had its hilarious moments. Most of the humour was completely seedy and verging on the height of inappropriateness. It's not a movie for the average person especially if you get offended easily.

All the characters were extreme stereotypes and they were complete clichés but it worked. They all played their parts well and created one extreme OMG party. Throughout the whole thing I was disgusted and slightly jealous that I will never get to attend a party like that probably ever.

It probably did go for a bit too long and there was no real storyline to the movie but I don't think that was ever the point. People are reading into it too much and were expecting it to be an intellectual tongue-in-cheek portrayal of coming to terms with yourself and father time. Absolute bullish!t. Do not tell me that you were shocked that it was lowbrow or that it wasn't peppered with heartfelt sentiment. If you thought that was what it was going to be from the trailer then you were in the wrong movie cinema.

Amy Poehler and her co-star/producer Tina Fey are uber-talented performers -no one questions that. But one has to question their capacity for necessary self- criticism before handing in a "work of art", which cinema aspires to, although one wouldn't suspect it capable of same after watching "Sisters". This is frankly among the worst major studio A-level production films released since the close of the Silent Era.

Would that the twosome had remained silent. They elected, clearly as an integral element of the project, to go "Blue" - litter the screen with vulgarity and porno-film language (without the XXX visuals of course). One of my favorite comedians growing up was Woody Woodbury, a Florida comic big in the '50s and '60s who had several hit comedy LPs a la Newhart & Cosby. He would mark one side of an album "The Blue Side", and listening to both, it was clear he could be funny with or without extreme vulgarity of the Redd Foxx/Belle Barth school. This was before warning labels were invented.

Obviously Fey & Amy are funny without, but you'd never know it per "Sisters". The basic "high-concept" premise, of arrested-development characters aged 42 reverting to their high school memories and antics, not via a reunion but rather a blow-out party on the occasion of the sisters losing their ancestral home, is cornball and the plot developments it inspires, notably the silly romance of Amy with an easy-going handy man stud of a neighbor plus final reels "suspense" as Fey must shift gears and work toward preserving the sold house to get the inheritance- style bequest and start a new life, rather than continuing its childish destruction, are preposterously old-hat.

So we suffer through sketch antics of the duo and many tough-to-embarrass alumni and alumnae of SNL, doing slapstick and idiotic turns that are always infantile. A horrible Pauly Shore comedy film of the '90s is far superior to the kindergarten-level humor presented here, gussied up with soft-X language but still aimed at morons. Pretending the audience is even dumber than it is (I'm not pretending that today's moviegoers are sophisticated, given their predilection for fake 3-D, fake IMAX and anything the DC and Marvel conglomerates throw at them) strikes me as not merely insulting but clearly counter-productive to one's career.

Finally, the worst sin committed by "Sisters" and its progenitors is a more subtle issue that has bothered me of late. My favorite and the key independent filmmaker of all time was John Cassavetes, and audiences and some critics believed his films were improvised -that was the tag hung around his neck. In fact he work-shopped his movies, with lots of rehearsals involving improv, used to lock in the final script. Poehler & Fey have taken this one step further and drained the life out of the spontaneity that makes their stand-up careers so successful.

Even Jonathan Winters, perhaps the greatest improviser/stream of consciousness comic ever, had signposts and familiar long-developed ideas that would come out when he would pick up some prop and speak spontaneously, often with hilarious results. But watching "Sisters" every routine, especially the shaggy-dog crap of Poehler endlessly mispronouncing the Korean manicurist's name, is dead, having been over-thought and finally making the movie's final cut "as if" it were spontaneous. "Fake spontaneity" is far worse and even more boring than the canned, overly tight "filmed play" phenomenon at the other end of the spectrum, as evidenced here.

Really not sure where all the super negative reviews are coming from, I guess just people who consider themselves too good for this type of raunchy and silly humor. Sisters is about two immature women refusing to grow up, adults reliving their teenage years, and that is what is so funny about it. It is over the top sometimes, but comedy is supposed to be different from reality. If everyone was behaving like mature adults in this movie, it would be boring and it would last 15 minutes. "Oh, mom and dad, you're selling the house? Well awesome I hope you get a good deal, see you at Christmas..." Now I will admit there were a few misses with this movie, the end dragged on a little too long, but overall I enjoyed all the characters and most of the jokes were great.

In Sisters (2015) Amy Poehler and Tina Fey play Kate and Maura Ellis, two dysfunctional adult sisters with fond memories of their child hood. After discovering their parents have sold their childhood home, the two decide to have one last epic house party, cleverly named Ellis Island. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will go down in history as one of the great comedic duos like Martin and Lewis, Lemmon and Mathau, Bing and Bob Hope. Sisters is the long awaited comedy film paring of the two since Baby Mama (2008). There is a chemistry between the two that is undeniable. Weather its co-hosting SNL, the Golden Globes, or appearances on Jimmy Fallon, the two work comedy magic together. Fey usually playing strait man to Poehler's wackier characters. So my question is, why mess with the formula? In Sisters there is a reversal of roles, Fey is the screw up and Poehler the strait laced. I am sure in putting this film together the question was asked, "Why can't Tina be the screw up for once". Unfortunately Tina, you have painted yourself into a bit of a corner and you are now typecast as the smart, wise cracking, sarcastic, professional. Much in the way we all love to see Poehler wheels off wacky. Raunchy dialogue and reckless abandon fits on her about as poorly as the dresses the two try on in one very funny scene. The miss match doesn't derail the comedy by any means. There are far too many brilliantly cast supporting characters to keep the laughs on track. From John Leguizamo, to Diane Wiest, to other SNL alum like Kate Mckinnon, Rachel Dratch, Mya Rudolph and Bobby Moynihan. I would have liked to see more of Kate Mckinnon, but was pleasantly surprised by a very funny over the top performance by Moynihan. And the award for best comic cameo in several movies goes to John Cena. Cena has garnered many hilarious roles this past year in films like Train Wreck (2015), Daddy's Home (2015) and now Sisters. I'm not sure if he is ready to headline his own comedy, but he has yet to disappoint. If you were a fan of Neighbors (2014) or Stepbrother (2008), sisters has a similar feel. The adults refusing to grow up, the not as good as we once were type laughs are the classically funny reoccurring themes. Two great comics at the top of their game. I think in the long run on Netflix, DVD and cable the laughs give this film quote-ability and re-watch-ability. All in all, good for some laughs if it's your turn to pick.

I don't know what is happening with american cinematography, if it's adjusting itself to the people, or it's still there just to set the new direction, called the road to the bottom of the culture and art. What was comedy just a decade ago has now been wanished. Instead, we have good actors forced to play embarrassing roles filled with curses, and more curses, making fun out of behaviour that can be considered of that of people with special needs. Does american cinematogrpahy is setting the bar low for something that is inevitable, like drop in human intelligence and rule of the ignorance and fools? After this movie and many like this one, I ask myself where we are head to.

After seeing Star Wars for the second time and falling asleep halfway through, my girlfriend and I decided to stick around for another movie and randomly walked into a showing of Sisters right as it was starting. I had never heard of it and had no expectations.

I looked around and noticed about 30 females sitting around me and only 1 or 2 guys, so I figured I was in for some kind of chick flick. Luckily, it ended up being a movie that was perfectly enjoyable for guys to watch. I would imagine, however, that woman would identify with these characters more, and this would be a great movie for a girls night out.

The plot was pretty thin and it seems very similar to other movies that I've seen before, but there was a lot to like in this movie. The chemistry between Amy and Tina is undeniable. You can tell that they had a lot of fun making this movie, and they both have lots of charisma and are fun to watch. While a few jokes fall flat or seem contrived, there were lots of hilarious laugh out loud moments. They both have such great facial expressions. With the wrong cast, this movie could have been terrible, but Amy and Tina really pull it off.

Overall, we ended up being really happy to have stumbled upon this movie. It was the perfect brainless, care-free, feel-good comedy that made for a fun time at the movies. The theater we saw it in was about half full and everyone was laughing loudly and having a good time.

I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes comedy and is in the mood for a crazy dumb movie thats lots of fun!

Really, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and this is as good as they can do, this movie is for teenage boys, young pubescent kids. What a disappointment. I expected so much more from two comediennes, but this is a low low. Drugs, penises, boobs, and more f- words than necessary. Come on, comedy doesn't need to smack you in the face, again and again and again and again. James Brolin and Dianne Weist and the young actress playing Tina's daughter, showed just enough restraint, much needed by everyone else, to be the only bright spots in this movie. Raise the bar, Tina and Amy!!! They could have offered more reasons to root for either sister, but did not. Amy and Tina, please, I know you can do better, because I've seen you do better. Don't settle for making the lowest common denominator laugh. Elevate your efforts

"We need a little less Forever 21 and a little more Suddenly 42." Kate (Fey) and Maura (Poehler) are sisters that are on opposite ends of life's spectrum. Maura seems to have her life together while Kate is floating. When their parents tell them they are selling their childhood home the two sisters decide to throw one last party. What begins as a way to relive their past turns into a way to help their future. I really love Tina and Amy but they seem to always do the same thing. I laugh every time but Weekend Update to Baby Mama they have always been funny but tame. This movie changes everything. The movie is crude, unexpected and absolutely hilarious. I laughed out loud over and over and the level of dialog is so quote worthy that this movie is well on its way to becoming a classic. If you liked Old School you will love this one. This is one of the funniest comedies I have seen in a very long time. Overall, finally a comedy that is hilarious, re-watchable and doesn't give away all the funny parts in the preview. This is a movie I can not recommend enough. I loved this movie. I give this an A+.

man. so, like this was available in EUGENE at a theatre at like 9 p.m that was way too late for me.... so, I'm in Portland, its Thursday...saint Patrick's day, I had a shower at the Bud Clark Commons...checked into the Joyce Motel...it was awful, like had to run for bleach and a room spray to blanket the Pee smell that evidently is everywhere in this room on the third floor by the stairwell.. and i had been reading the Williamette NEWS that had been advertising films out and available locally...LIKE the FANTASTIC MR. FOX....which since i've caught some awesome PBS televised during the morning prior to 9a.m ...I don't have a nagging sensation to check it out...so I go...on BUS 20 to the only 7 p.m showing. i had my eyes deadlocked on the situation...forty year olds in Florida behaving like teases and exploring their creativity sexually... and from the beginning, with the mom and daughter crashing on the couch and using the space as a salon was funny...kinda like Ann heche or holly hunter in something, yet they do it without a straight face which eliminates the whole LIFETIME MOVIE drama aura ...and it turns out that THEIR FOLKS, the two sisters' ....are selling their Florida home where they grew up? So the next surprisingly very very funny and imaginative scene i had fun paying attention to was the shopping IN a BIG LOTS store. It didn't get too much better, and the Maya rudolph kinda got the CREEPY CRAWLY SALT LAKE CITY treatment... check it out their bodies are funny, their animated faces are timeless, and it kills time.