THE BANGER SISTERS (2002) Reviewed by John Sylva (C) 2002, TheMovieInsider.com
Bob Dolman's The Banger Sisters proves quality adult comedies are still something of a possibility in an industry that's becoming increasingly youth-oriented with every airing of MTV's Total Request Live, with each release of films like the Tom Green-starring Stealing Harvard. It's quite surprising to see a comedy in which the adult characters are given a good three times the amount of screen time as their teenage counterparts--especially when one of the youngsters is Erika Christensen, currently starring in the Fatal Attraction-for-teens (see what I mean?) Swimfan. The three leads, Goldie Hawn, Susan Sarandon, and Geoffrey Rush, are all over 50, playing roles that often call on them to go against what they're accustomed to playing: Hawn, as Suzette, an animated, bright-pink pants sporting bartender, is asked to make herself appear startlingly unattractive; Sarandon, rarely one to take part in such blunt comedy, sheds the wholesome image many expect to see from her as Lavinia, the uptight, small-town suburban socialite whose life takes a drastic turn after reuniting with ex-best-friend Suzette; while Rush makes a welcome departure from his usually dead-serious dramatic work as Harry, the unlikely companion of Suzette. What's most admirable about this offbeat, engaging buddy comedy is that it presents adults as people who still have a chance in life, going against what their high school guidance counselors probably would have told them would be possible at this stage in the game. Every adult here is an individual who, before the end credits roll, is presented with an opportunity to reexamine the path they've taken in life, and, more importantly, do something to avert the grievances by which they are plagued. This theme can also be applied to the stars, particularly Hawn, who, in a fierce and fearless performance, suggests that she, like the film's characters, has a few tricks up her sleeve we have yet to see.
Once inseparable friends as somewhat famous rock & roll groupies, the two have taken different roads, to say the least. Suzette still works in the same bar she did in 16 years ago, associating with the sort of people she herself would be if born thirty or so years later, while Lavinia (once nicknamed "Vinnie"), lives in a Home & Garden-perfect home with her rather cold husband (Robin Thomas) and two teenage daughters (Christensen and Sarandon's real life daughter, Eva Amurri, a genuinely funny scene-stealer here). When they reunite under circumstances that suggest Lavinia's seemingly airtight parenting methods haven't been nearly as successfully as she would like to believe they have been, the two have wildly different reactions to each other's company: Suzette is ready to hit the local clubs and party like it's yesterday, and Lavinia is more than ready to see Suzette leave on the soonest possible flight back home to California. However, as the two further interact, Lavinia realizes that shunning her past in fear of losing her rather hollow present is useless, lashing out against her tidy image in unpredictable, often hilarious ways. These are two characters who, if seen together in public, would be laughed at by onlookers merely because society has given us a set notion of what kinds of people certain individuals will associate with. The unlikely duo's personality and image clash gives The Banger Sisters a surprising significance in regards to modern society, leading viewers to question what those self-absorbed PTA soccer moms spent their weekends doing a decade ago. That these issues regarding the borders adults often put between themselves and their quite possibly disreputable pasts are brought to life by Hawn and Sarandon, both of whom have made what some would consider questionable choices in their own lives, just makes them ring all the more honest. Short and sweet, The Banger Sisters, speaking in both terms of Hollywood actors and the timelines of people's lives, proves that old can be every bit as good as new.
GRADE: B
Film reviewed September 22nd, 2002.
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