Don't Mess with My Sister!

My review was written in June 1988 after watching the movie on Vidamerica video cassette.

Beneath that oddball title resides a peculiar dramatic film about "little people" and their problems which never becomes gripping. Filmmaker Meir Zarchi (of "Day of the Woman") fails to develop his material in interesting fashion.

Filme in Gotham in 1983 undr the tile "America Junkyard", "Sister" concerns a group of Italian Americans: Steven (Joe Pesce) is an accounting student working at an auto junkyard run by his two brothers-in-law (Jack Gurci, Peter Sapienza). He's frustrated because they won't make him a partner. Key plot device is a birthday party thrown by his family whee a belly dancer (fellow student at the university) Annika (Laura Lanfranchi) performs for Steven, who later has an affair with her. Hot blood of his wife (Jeannine Lemay) and her brothers quickly comes to a boil, hence the title.

Goofy plot device has Steven saving Annika from a lustful businessman when she gives a "private performance", in the struggle the businessman is injured and later dies. Climax has Steven and family in a confrontation at gunpoint at their junkyard leading to a wimpy finish of our hero walking away while wifey runs after him; she screams "I'll never give you a surprise party again".

As that final outburst indicates, "Sister" treads that thin line between camp and melodrama but isn't outlandish enough to become truly funny. Acting is okay yet in a spirit of "who cares?" permeates the picture from start to finish. Cast's concerns remain relentlessly petty and the symbolic value of the junkyard setting never catches fire.

It's fairly clear straight from the beginning why this second and last film by director Meir Zarchi isn't nowhere near as notorious and widely banned as its predecessor "I Spit on your Grave" … Heck, after seeing this film, you'll even wonder how these two films could possibly have been directed by one and the same person. And, last but not least, you'll also be extremely grateful that Zarchi retired from the horror/cult movie industry immediately after the release of this piece of garbage. "Don't Mess With My Sister" is shamelessly promoted as a revenge-thriller (it can even be found in box sets that are entitled "The Sweet Revenge Box" or "The Retaliation Collection"), but it's actually a intolerably dull and shockingly ordinary family drama. Who seriously cares about the random divorce issues of an unsympathetic couple and their ugly and constantly interfering family members? A dumb guy, who got forced into marrying the ugly duckling sister in order to obtain partnership in her brothers' filthy junkyard business, develops a crush on a sexy blond belly dancer and gradually considers leaving his wife. So what! Good for him, I would have left her even without the belly dancer coming along. Besides, the Mrs. booked the belly dancer herself as a birthday present for her hard-working husband, so actually she only has herself to blame. Anyway, that's basically the entire story. No vengeance, no sleazy payback or even self-righteous suicide to enjoy here! There's exactly ONE murder sequence in the entire film and that isn't even relevant to the plot. If, after experiencing the phenomenon called "I Spit on your Grave", your expectations were highly set on seeing bloody castrations or revolting sexual violations, you will feel robbed like rarely ever before. There's nothing positive to say about "Don't Mess with my Sister"… It's dull, ugly, fake and wannabe-engaging and totally retarded.

I enjoy the old classic horrors. Low budgets, questionable acting, cheesey effects etc. I spit on your grave, or Day of the Woman as the US print is known is a classic of the genre. Imagine my exitement when I stumbled upon a copy of "Family and Honor" (UK title) in a bargain bucket at the local video shop.

The initial exitement of the find was the only pleasure this film gave me. I viewed it once, with much use of fast-forward ; and in the words of Mr Gump, "that's about all I want to say about that..."

An abomination of a film. No gore. No story. No point.

Meir Zahari's first film, I Spit On Your Grave was originally entitled The Day of the Woman. In Don't Mess With My Sister, it's time for Man to make a comeback. The main character has a problem with his wife and her two brothers and is lucky enough to make it with an erotic blonde exotic dancer. After the pair kill one of her clients and his wife begins to suspect her husband isn't just studying accounting at night school, she gets her brothers to take revenge. Any more would destroy the plot. Needless to say this film was made with Zahari's unique stylistic approach. Don't miss it. I didn't, I bought the rights!

this movie sucks two thumbs down...ehhhh...way down