The Banger Sisters

I didn't expect the movie to be this good, to be quite honest, but it definitely impressed me. Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon make a good team as Suzette and Lavinia. Suzette and Lavinia were known as the "Banger Sisters" when they were teenagers/early twenties (they were groupies). Suzette, who was just fired from her job as a bartender at the beginning of the movie, is still trying to live the groupie life while Lavinia moved to Arizona and has gone on to marry a rich man and have 2 kids. She is basically the "perfect housewife". Suzette decides to visit Lavinia after she's fired and on the way meets a bitter, obsessive-compulsive man named Harry (Geoffrey Rush...I did a double take the second time I saw this movie...after I saw Pirates of the Caribbean...I couldn't believe it was the same man! He had gone from one extreme to the other! In POTC he was a dirty, rotting, crude pirate while in the Banger Sisters he was this immaculate, obsessively clean, almost virginal man!). Well the initial visit with Suzette and Lavinia doesn't go over too well but Lavinia comes back the next day to apologize to Suzette (Lavinia was a tad rude the day before). The movie's about the two women revisiting their past and rekindling their friendship. I like the storyline, it wasn't an overdone one. It wasn't your typical chick flick. I enjoyed it more than I expected to. 8/10.

Suzette (Goldie Hawn) and Lavinia (Susan Sarandon) used to be groupies with the Doors, but they've since parted ways: Suzette still acts like a groupie, Lavinia lives a laid-back existence in the suburbs. That is, until Suzette decides to come visit Lavinia. Then, all bets are off. Big time.

If absolutely nothing else, "The Banger Sisters" shows that Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon still have the talent that they always had (of course, neither one ever lost talent). Geoffrey Rush has a great supporting role as uptight Harry Plummer, with some strange plans.

I gotta say, autumn 2002 put an interesting spin on chick flicks, with "The Banger Sisters", "Far from Heaven" and "The Hours".

"The Banger Sisters" tells of two middle-aged women, once best friend rock groupies, who have taken different paths through life. Upon reuniting after 20 years they rediscover each other and, most of all, themselves. A fun and funny chick flick with summa-dis and summa-dat in lieu of a story, this light hearted comedy runs the gamut from silliness to poignancy to middle-aged romance to sentimental stuff with only an occasional speed bump along the way winding up with a message about being true to yourself. An enjoyable three star flick for more mature audiences, especially the distaff. (B)

Finally, not another unrealistic or action packed movie, but rather a movie that captures more of the women's attention. Of course, any male could probably enjoy this film. Although, some men are probably thinking, `Where is the baseball in this movie?' Or `Can't wait for the game.'

`The Banger Sisters' is a film about two close friends who shared a wild and reckless past. As they grew up, one tried to change completely and live a so-called `normal' lifestyle with two kids and a wealthy husband; the other one, unashamed of her past, is still wild. The one who changed so much, Lavina or Vinnie (Susan Sarandon), takes one look at Suzette (Goldie Hawn), for the first time in twenty years and doesn't want anything to do with her. With the help from Suzette, Lavina discovers her `old' self and makes some changes for the better.

The director Bob Dolman's most obvious intention is to pull off a movie that deals with a variety of real life issues ranging from relationships with friends and family to making changes and rediscovering the past. The director does an incredible job of making this movie realistic. First of all, he chose Susan Sarandon to play the part of the mother and house wife. Sarandon is a well known, well liked actress, who really helps bring this role to life. Also not to forget Goldie Hawn, now, who can really say they don't like Goldie? The director chose her to be the `wild' one. Goldie's petite body and sense of humor portrays this image perfectly. Also her 1960s wardrobe and tattoo on her arm prove she is no settled house wife. To help along with the whole `making changes' intention, the director throws in the `perfect' daughter, known as Hannah (Erika Christensen). Susan Sarandon's daughter is `Miss Valedictorian.' The director of the film allows Sarandon to come home to find that her daughter is no princess. Hannah's major performance in this film definitely brought about change in her `mother.'

`The Banger Sisters' is an excellent film. It brings in realistic situations and deals with them in its own way. This movie is recommended to anyone who likes comedies.

My subject line sort of sums up my views on this movie. The plot is not particularly original. Once you know hook, you can predict much of the rest of the movie. The difference is that they stir the pot a little in this one, and the cast seems to really enjoy working together and is fun to watch. There are a few minor surprises, but who cares. This is a movie about the charisma of it's stars, and they all shine. This is not a movie that will go down in history, it will not change your life, but it is not a bad way to spend an hour and a half.