Movie Review: Sisters

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler party with their old high school chums in Sisters.

I've long been a big fan of both Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, two comedians who aren't afraid to call it how it is and be badass women while they're at it.

So when I heard they were pairing up for a film, my hand was first in the air to review it.

Both gained a reputation for being hilarious on Saturday Night Live in the late 90s/early 2000s and the laughs have continued since.

Poehler's character on Parks & Recreation, Lesley Knope, is one of my all-time favourite fictional television people.

As I sat down in the cinema to watch Sisters, I was ready to laugh and laugh hard. Sadly, however, my expectations were too high and the film didn't live up to them.

Don't get me wrong, it was kind of funny, but it was also weird, awkward and slightly cringy.

Fey and Poehler play two mid-40s sisters - Fey the rebel wild child, Poehler the too-sensible mothering type - who decide to reclaim their long-lost teenage years by having one last crazy party in their childhood home before their parents sell it and relocate to a retirement condo.

Predictably, Fey's character must learn to step up and be a responsible adult while Poehler's must loosen the reins and let go a bit.

The plot wasn't revolutionary or inspired, though most of the cast did well with the story arcs they were given.

The funniest parts where when Fey and Poehler had obviously been given free reign to riff off each other, creating banter that made you feel as though you were a fly on the wall witnessing their real friendship and they way they interact.

It was slightly voyeuristic and very awkward, but also hilarious.

You got a real sense of the deep respect and love the pair have for each other and a picture into how crazy, but awesome, hanging out with them in real life would be.

Other standout performances came from Maya Rudolph, as Fey's character's high school nemesis, and Dianne Wiest as the girls' mother.

I think the last time I saw Wiest in a film was in Ron Howard's 1989 film Parenthood, where she played a single mum.

It was great to see she still fits her fantastic sassy pants in this latest work.

Sisters is great rainy afternoon light entertainment, when you want to switch off your brain and have a bit of a giggle when things get weird.

It's almost worth going just to see Tina Fey scale a brick wall in high heels, sober.

Sisters
Directed by Jason Moore