SISTERS, Sisters

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Sisters' on Blogcritics.

As of today, the film Sisters is available to own. Released in theaters late last year, the movie tells the story of two messed-up female siblings who come together one last time in their childhood home to throw a huge party and recapture what they’ve lost. With an impressive comedic cast, it’s a new twist on an old genre, the party film, with the young-at-heart instead of the young (though they certainly aren’t old, either).

The stars of Sisters are the great Tina Fey (30 Rock) and Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation). Tina is Kate, the fun-loving sister that can’t hold a job or a place to live, and has alienated her daughter, Haley (Madison Davenport, Shameless). Amy is Maura, the uptight one who can’t keep a husband. While Maura is admittedly more responsible, her issue of not knowing how to loosen up is a problem, too, and so the two must help one another, each rubbing off on the other.

That sounds like a very familiar formula, and it is. Even mixing it with a party film (most of the running time takes place at a celebration on a single night) isn’t novel. Nor is the basic love interest for Maura, James (Ike Barinholtz, The Mindy Project), whose only defining characteristic is that he’s nice to Maura because he likes her, and knows how to fix things for her.

What makes Sisters unique, though, is the exact manner in which it tackles this premise. By putting all the characters around forty-ish, it adds a new element. And while Maura and Kate may be the only party-goers with full personalities, seeing their high school chums fall back into old patterns and stereotypes and reopen old wounds is satisfying, too, like a school reunion, but in a totally wild setting. It took awhile for me to start appreciating exactly what makes Sisters special, but by the end of the two hours (yep, it’s a full two hours, not ninety minutes like most comedies), I think I finally understood it.

Helping the film’s appeal along is a stellar supporting cast, which includes many Saturday Night Live alum and cast members, joining fellow players Tina, Amy, and the movie’s scribe Paula Pell, who created some of SNL‘s most memorable late ’90s characters. Those actors are Bobby Moynihan, Kate McKinnon, John Lutz, Chris Parnell, Rachel Dratch, and the incomparable Maya Rudolph. Toss in Samantha Bee (The Daily Show), Jon Glaser (Delocated), Renee Elise Goldsberry (The Good Wife), Matt Oberg (The Onion News Network), Greta Lee (New Girl), John Leguizamo (Moulin Rogue), WWE wrestler John Cena, and Life in Pieces couple Dianne Wiest and James Brolin, and you would be hard-pressed to find a better ensemble.

I guess Sisters isn’t for everyone, and if you don’t get that bizarre take on a relatable familial chemistry that it’s going for, you may be left confused. But once you embrace the madness and just let yourself enjoy the performances, it becomes a fun way to spend a couple of hours.

As far as extras go, there are tons. Besides an unrated version of the movie itself and the expected deleted and extended scenes, there are outtakes, unused improv moments, and behind-the-scenes material to explain what the filmmakers are doing. There’s also an interview with writer Pell, commentary with her, the director, and the two leads, and and an extra on special effects. It’s quite a lot for a release such as this, and thankfully much of it is showing us more of the funny performers in their element.

As always, I recommend blu-ray over DVD. Visually, there are some bright Florida colors and the dark light show at the party that beg for good contrast. In the second half of the film, there’s a lot going on with the audio, from dialogue to music to ambiance, all mixed together. In a testament to the overall quality, I detected no flaws in any of it during my HD viewing, and I never had trouble understanding what the characters are saying. I can’t help but think a standard definition experience would be harder to stomach, needing the crispness to balance everything out appropriately.

Sisters is available now on blu-ray, DVD, and digital download.

30 Rock rocks out the guest stars

     This week on NBC's 30 Rock, in "The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell," Jack (Alec Baldwin) decides to get rid of the Page Program and replace them with an automated system (voiced by Rachel Dratch), much to Kenneth's (Jack McBrayer) chagrin. But then Jack makes a mistake, and his businessversary present to Hank Hooper (Ken Howard) gets sent to TGS instead. Jack loses the respect of not only Hank, but the TGS staff as well, with Lutz (John Lutz) even thinking that they are on the same level! To save face, Jack rehires the pages and blames Kenneth for the snafu, scrapping the automated machine.

     Writing a review of nearly any 30 Rock episode ends up being a game of name dropping as many celebrities as possible, and a struggle to mention all of the best one-liners, of which there are almost always a plethora to choose from. "The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell" has its share of the latter, and more of the former than any installment in recent memory. That alone makes it an episode well worth watching, as well as guarantees that not every star appearing in the half hour will be mentioned in the following article. Nor will most of those names be linked, but feel free to google them.

     It's been too long an absence for Dratch, who appears regularly as a variety of characters in the early days of 30 Rock. Any excuse to bring her back is more than welcome, so it's a little disappointing that the machine is thrown away so fast. Where might she pop up next, and when?

     It's great to see Jack exposed as a normal man. Everything about his character screams elitist, and even though viewers soon start to root for Jack to fix his image problem this week, it's funny to see him taken down a peg by the likes of Lutz and Frank (Judah Friedlander). 30 Rock needs Jack to be the top dog in order to keep the fictional version of NBC running, but that doesn't mean that he can't suffer temporary setbacks. This story will work especially well for those who wish some ill will on Baldwin, who isn't universally liked outside of 30 Rock.

     In "The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell," Jack gets to deliver a great one-liner about the fame of Maulik Pancholy, who formerly plays Jack's assistant, Jonathan, and now co-stars in Whitney. Jonathan is definitely missed, and is a far better use of Pancholy's talents that his current role. However, Pancholy does get more screen time on Whitney, slightly, so it's probably better for him, career wise. And at least he's a main character on his new series instead of a recurring supporting player, as he is on 30 Rock.

     In a second plot, Liz (Tina Fey) and Jenna (the underrated, fantastic Jane Krakowski) have a falling out as friends when Jenna sets up Liz to have paint thrown on her by PETA, just so Jenna can save face. Both seek solace by gravitating towards others like themselves. It isn't long before Jenna finds her new besties, including an unknown Kardashian, exhausting. And Liz, after a misstep with a very obvious knock off of the Sex and the City friends, who are even listed in the credits with names like Charglotte and Kerrie (Teri Conn, As the World Turns, One Life to Live), ends up really annoyed by a near twin named Amy (Julie Dretzin, Six Feet Under). They return to each other, glad to have someone that complements them, rather than a pal exactly like them.

     30 Rock uses its trademark brand of broad, winky humor extensively in the Liz and Jenna plot this week. Not only is it packed with guest stars, but the jokes are really funny. It may be a typical story, done by many other series, but it is handled with a 30 Rock twist that makes it seem both fresh and hilarious. As such, more of this kind of stuff will keep the show running for a good long time.

     Following on that theme, the MLK Day trailer at the beginning of "The Ballad of Kenneth Purcell," featuring Jenna starring in a Valentine's Day-esque film with Emma Stone, Nick Cannon, and Andy Samberg (themselves), is a wonderful tongue-in-cheek joke. Not many shows have the gravitas to pull these kind of names for a one-shot laugh, but that 30 Rock can do so over and over again really lends to its credibility. Just looking for who will show up next is a great draw to watch each episode. Also, Jenna's growing fame on the show within a show is a neat way to take her character, and putting her in the company of these others actors makes it seem even more believable.

     Finally, Tracy (Tracy Morgan) decides that he'd like to kill himself after Dot Com (Kevin Brown) and Grizz (Grizz Chapman) send out his birthday invitations with the phrase "no gifts." Tracy isn't really looking for death, but rather, wants to illustrate a point to his entourage, mostly because he doesn't have anything else to do. As to what exactly that point is, well, anyone's guess is good, as Tracy's brain doesn't exactly work correctly. But it's amusing, and it gives Morgan some amusing scenes in the jam-packed episode.

     "The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell" aired at 9 p.m. ET, the second of two new episodes this week. Normally, 30 Rock airs in the earlier time slot of 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Be sure to watch it.

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30 Rock goes live!

     NBC's 30 Rock did a live show for each coast last night.  Having just completed viewing the West Coast episode online (I like in the Eastern time zone), I could identify only 5 intentional differences between the two, and most involved the guest stars:  In the East version, Jenna (Jane Krakowski) sang words to 30 Rock's normal theme music about the show being live, and in the West Danny (Cheyenne Jackson, Glee) did it with completly different lyrics.  Flashback Liz Lemon (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Seinfeld) made fun of Jonathan by referencing Slum Dog Millionaire in one version, and Aladdin in the other.  In the East, the entire cast yelled together at Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) to spit out his idea, while the West only saw Jack (Alec Baldwin) yell at him.  Dr. Spaceman (Chris Parnell, Saturday Night Live) sang different songs in his commerical.  And Drew (Jon Hamm, Mad Men) had a black hand from an executed felon in one version, and a woman's hand from a Frankenstein company in the other, though both versions ended with the new hand on his crotch.

     What that means is, joke by joke, facial expression by facial expression, the cast had this piece rehearsed down.  Everything landed almost the exact same way.  The only unintentional difference I saw was that Danny as Dr. Drew actually did break on the East coast feed during a sketch about Tracy (Tracy Jordan) fake breaking.  The show didn't feel fresh and raw, as live shows sometimes do.  It felt like they were performing something they'd done over and over again.  They filmed with the help of Saturday Night Live, and as 30 Rock is usually funnier than SNL, I wonder if it is the various takes that help that along.  This was not 30 Rock's finest episode by a long shot.  The novelty was what sold the episode, and I admit I enjoyed it.  But not because of the quality.  If the show was like this every week, it wouldn't be half as good.

     Along with the uniqueness of the live feature, a lot of guest stars also showed up to help.  Much more than normal.  I already mentioned Louis-Dreyfus (the most unexpected of the bunch, and probably the funniest), Parnell, Jackson, and Hamm.  Carol (Matt Damon) also did two scenes, and Bill Hader (SNL) played the co-pilot in love with him.  Last, but not least, after a far-too-long absence, Rachel Dratch, who was originally cast as Jenna, and did a number of characters in twelve episodes of season one, returned.

     The plot was simple, as with everything else going on, there wasn't too much time to squeeze it in.  Everyone forgot Liz's (Tina Fey) birthday, Jack gave up alcohol, and Tracy decided he wanted to break during TGS.  No one will probably remember that part of the show.

     It was an interesting experiment, and I'm glad that 30 Rock did it.  I laughed a lot.  Now please don't do it again.

     30 Rock airs Thursday nights at 8:30 on NBC.


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Saturday Night Live premieres with Amy Poehler

     NBC may be (unfairly) holding Parks and Recreation until mid-season, but Amy Poehler returned to the network this week as host of Saturday Night Live's season premiere.  Not only did Amy show up, brought she brought a multitude of friends with her.  In her awesome monologue, she relayed a dream she had supposedly had the night before, and the sequence was filmed for our enjoyment.  She had a kissing scene with Justin Timberlake, who proclaimed her a horrible kisser. Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon taunted her, saying they were back, and she would not be doing the Weekend Update segment.  A polar bear devoured her friend Rachel Dratch.  The whole thing was bizarre, and also very funny.

     SNL has been uneven for awhile now.  One could argue that last season was pretty bad, on the whole.  This week's episode was mostly polished and sharp.  While Amy's friends did fill in during the monologue, only a couple of them appeared in skits, so they can't get all of the credit for improving the quality of the show.  Justin Timberlake was in one very short skit with Andy Samberg called "Actor II Actor".  There wasn't much to it, but I laughed out loud the entire time.  Maya Rudolph also returned for a brand new "Bronx Beat", which featured Katy Perry in a sly nod to her Seasame Street video that was cut.  Perry also returned for an Oscar segment that was probably the worst part of the episode.

     Two cast members, that I noticed, are no longer with SNL.  Jenny Slade had not been on the show that long, and she's gone.  Also, Will Forte resigned.  I do not know if his departure had anything to do with the box office failure of the Macgruber movie, but it wouldn't surprise me.  The show added four new cast members to this year's lineup, but they weren't featured much, so it's hard to form an opinion yet.  My current favorite, who really stood out this week despite very limited screen time, is Nasim Pedrad.  I wasn't overly impressed with her last year, but her mock of Edie Falco in Nurse Jackie was spot on, and she also could easily replace Amy Poehler in the "Rick" sketches.

     The one did a Will Smith impression during Weekend Update that marked the only blemish in that part of the show.  Update was fantastic this week, with one of the best "Really!?! With Seth and Amy"s of all time, covering Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and gays in the military.  The real Governor David Patterson also showed up to face-off with his rival, and played along with the recurring bits.  My favorite sketch of this week's episode was probably the Mosque commercial.  The sad part is, there are people in this country that would take that seriously.

     Next week Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) will be the host, and Kanye West is the musical guest.  Tune into NBC Saturday nights at 11:30 to watch the show.

SNL: Betty White is not too old for this s***

     Last night's special Mother's Day edition of NBC's Saturday Night Live was a ratings hit, and an audience's delight.  Despite the over three decades the show has been on the air, and the nearly twice that that Betty White has been active in show business, the two had never come together until the 88 year old hosted last night's show.  She had been offered the gig several times, but turned it down, and so SNL had stopped asking.  Then came a recent facebook group, pleased with White's Snickers commercial during this year's Super Bowl, and she decided she couldn't let down the half a million fans petitioning for her.

     The show started surprisingly rocky.  The opening sketch before the theme song was one that has been done on the show before, and despite featuring white and all six SNL female alum who joined her on screen, it stunk.  However, once that was out of the way, the episode was quite good.  White played a nursing home cop in CSI: Sarasota, was McGruber's disturbing grandmother, and, along with several great movie references, made the recurring sketch "Scared Straight" actually funny!  A touching tribute of the current and guest cast singing "Thank You For Being a Friend" to her turned into White donning a ski mask and beating the hell out of them.  In segment after segment, White proved that she should have taken the job years ago.

     The outpouring of emotion directed at White by both the actors sharing the stage and the audience was apparent.  Jay-Z dedicated a touching rendition of "Forever Young" to her, and as she was handed multiple bouquets of flowers at the end, surely tears came to many an eye.  Unfortunately, Jay-Z did not appear in any skits, despite rumors that he would.

     Joining White were a slew of female alum, which, unfortunately, didn't leave room for the current cast to do all that much.  However, they certainly showed that they were missed.  Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon brought back their famous NPR radio show sketch, Shannon also appeared as Sally O'Mally, and Maya Rudolph brought back Whitney Houston.  "Really With Seth (Meyers) and Amy" (Poehler) was resurrected, and added to as "Really With Seth, Amy, and Tina" (Fey).  Rachel Dratch didn't reprise any popular characters, because her Debbier Downer sketch was sadly cut (it can be seen at this link), but she's always welcome in good comedy.  Also cut, but on Hulu, are a Bronx Beat, Joyologist Helen Madden, and C-SPAN's coverage of the Times Square Bomber.  The night ended with Tina and Betty doing a hilarious U.S. Census questionnaire.  Betty was sweet, with plenty of profanity.

     All in all, it was a great night for the show and a triumph for Ms. White.  I certainly wouldn't call in the funniest episode of Saturday Night Live ever, or even of this season, but it was familiar, emotionally moving, and what it needed to be.  Kudos to all involved.

     Saturday Night Live airs Saturday nights at 11:30pm on NBC.