Women behaving badly will never go out of style, especially forTina FeyandAmy Poehler. Ruling over comedy for the better half of the 21st century, Fey is back in form with her new Netflix comedy series,The Four Seasons. A series that leans far more into drama than what we’re used to from Fey, and also starsColman Domingo,Will Forte, andSteve Carell. For those who are thirsty for more of Fey’s dry-witted humor once they finishTheFour Seasons, you’re in luck. Go beyond the obvious Netflix algorithm, andFey and Poehler star in an outrageously raunchy comedy that’s been flying under the streamer’s radar.
The 2015 comedy,Sisters, has unfortunately fallen through the cracks and become a forgotten tale of debauchery and partying. The movie is pure fun, led by Fey and Poehler as two adult sisters who have never really grown up. Directed byJason Moore(Pitch Perfect),it’s a low-stakes, hang-out comedy that’s got more drugs, alcohol, and make-out sessions than you may count,and a call back tothe wild comedies of the 2000s. Fey and Poehler had previously starred in the box-office hitBaby Mamaa few years prior, andSistersis like its own spiritual sequel. Underrated and unhinged, the comedy icons give some of their craziest performances to date in this Netflix hidden gem.
What Is ‘Sisters’ About?
Fey and Poehler play polar opposite sisters, Kate and Maura, who have to return to their childhood home in Orlando, Florida, because their parents have decided to downsize. Their eccentric parents, played byJames BrolinandDianne Weist, force them to clear out all their things, andthe sisters decide to throw one last rager to pay honor to their glory days. Whereas Kate was a party girl in high school with many boyfriends, Maura was the shy and nerdy sister, who never got time in the spotlight.
With this party, Kate decides it’s the perfect opportunity for Maura to misbehave, and sets her up with a cute neighbor, James (Ike Barinholtz). Maura finally lets loose, along with the rest of their old high school friends, and things take a turn for the worse as the party gets out of control.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Play Sisters Spiraling Out of Control in ‘Sisters’
Sistersis a complete flip fromBaby Mama, with Fey playing the wildcard as the sexually deviant and hard-drinking Kate, and Poehler playing the uptight Maura. It’s very satisfying to see Fey kick back into an irresponsible role that sees her spraying crowds with tequila, puking, and getting into catfights. She’s a riot, and miles away from her defining performance as Liz Lemon in30 Rock,in an against-type role. Her introduction scene is ludicrous, as a beautician who by accident bleaches the eyebrows of her client, played by fellowSNLalumni,Chris Parnell.Fey is a jittery mess of nerves and vulgarity, as she swears and flounders in golden hoops and poofed-up hair against a deadpan Parnell. Her nervous energy combined with her blatant, over-the-top sexuality of sticking out her butt or pouting her lips whenever she gets a chance, even while dying eyebrows, is a testament to her versatility and physical comedy.
Once Kate and Maura reunite in Orlando, the movie kicks into high gear. Poehler is so often flamboyant and eccentricin her many comedy roles, fromParks and RecreationtoWet Hot American Summer. But, inSisters, Poehler provides a restrained, awkward comedy that perfectly balances out Fey’s raging crudeness. Her scenes with her co-star and love interest, Barinholtz, are an endearing mess, especially when she and Fey drive by his front yard while he gardens, and they shamelessly check him out. Barinholtz is more than game, and lets himself be at the mercy of getting oggled and fawned over by Poehler as she giggles like a teenager, while Fey cat calls out to him in a clever spoof of the male gaze. Always willing to break the rules whenever gender norms are at play,they never miss an opportunity for a woman to break bad in the name of liberation, and it’s all part of Fey and Poehler’s charm.
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Thank you, Tina Fey, for being a friend.
‘Sisters’ Has an Epic Party Scene that Features Several SNL Alumni, Including Maya Rudolph
Though it’s noProject XorThe Hangover,the party scene inSistersis its own, living, breathing monster full of adults losing their minds from drugs and shots. It’s a fever dream brought to fruition thanks to Fey and Poehler’s many longtime collaborators, includingMaya Rudolph,Bobby Moynihan, a projectile-vomitingRachel Dratch, and a drug-dealingJohn Cena. Rudolph and Fey have a simmering, charged chemistry as two former cool girls who still carry vendettas against each other. The two share a fantastic, ad-libbed fight at the grocery store leading up to the party where they hurl insult after insult at one another, and they continue their bit of back-handed compliments at the party. Rudolph’s uptight, Brinda, continuously tries to break into the get-together to no avail, and her scrunched-up facial expressions of pain and sorrow are a reminder that no one rivals her in her cartoon-like ability to portray any emotion.
The true scene-stealer of the party, though, is Moynihan. Bathing himself in illicit substances at the party, he breaks through walls, chocolate cakes, and bathrooms, all the while shrieking, crying, and laughing, in an unhinged performance. He’s the heart of the party’s chaos, and is what makes it so cringe-inducing to watch as he uses his body as a vessel of destruction against the house. The party also finds a hammered Poehler and Barinholtz bursting through ceilings, and Fey and Cena making out, on top of many other outrageous activities that are best to be seen to be believed.A good hang-out watch,Sistersis pure crass, and holds up as solid entertainment withtwo of comedy’s best.
