As a comedy team, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey have always been perfect. They complement each other to such an extent that any instance of performance is instantly elevated by their pairing. From Saturday Night Live to the Golden Globes telecast – with 2004’s Mean Girls and 2008’s Baby Mama along the way – these two are never more effective than when they are locked in a game of verbal tennis with each other in some heightened, comedic situation. It is no surprise, then, that there has been a significant amount of anticipation for their next cinematic reunion – Sisters – which is due for release on December 18th 2015.
Directed by Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect) and written by Paula Pell (Saturday Night Live) Sisters is essentially a ‘vehicle’ for this tag-team of hilarity – and indeed, it was written specifically for these two actresses to undertake. Starring as siblings Maura (Poehler) and Jane (Tina), the sisters discover that their parents are selling their family home, and they must return to clear out their belongings. After some reminiscing, the two decide to throw one last party before the property is lost to them forever.
How do we know these plot points? Because this trailer tells us, in detail, in the form of long passages of exposition – just in case the title didn’t tip us off to the whole ‘being related’ thing. Hopefully, this phenomenon is exclusive to this heavily-edited preview, because if the actual dialogue in the film is this condescending, it could prove problematic.
Instead, it is much more satisfying to focus on the successful elements of the footage. We have Fey and Poehler together again, and the chemistry between them clearly endures. We have some funny, long-form jokes that play to the relationship between these two performers brilliantly, and we have an enviable supporting cast. Kate McKinnon (SNL, Ghostbusters), John Leguizamo (Chef), John Cena (Trainwreck), Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids), James Brolin (Catch Me If You Can), Dianne Wiest (Synecdoche, New York) and Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project) all appear to be bringing their ‘A game’ to Sisters – something that is to be expected when performing comedy with this talented team.
