So this is my review of Your Sister’s Sister… isn’t that like calling a movie “The day before tomorrow”? Or “the day after yesterday”? Unless the girl has like three sisters… Oh well.
A tough year after Jack’s brother passes away, Jack’s best friend Iris (played by the loveable and charming Emily Blunt) encourages him to take a break at her family’s cabin on an island getaway. It turns out that Iris’ sister Hannah had the same idea after her break-up. Getting to know each other while drinking tequila, they sleep with each other that very night. Then Iris comes by the cabin the very next day. Awkward…
This is a very simple movie with a very simple but still interesting premise. I’ve seen movies about guys who are in love with the same woman or stories about Girl A who’s in love with the guy, but the guy is with Girl B, and so forth. Interestingly enough, Girl A and B are sisters this time around, and that’s pretty rare for this kind of movie. The premise might sound a bit silly or cliche by the looks of the trailer, but with very cleverly written and very good characters, we actually get a very believable and likeable movie with an interesting set-up.
The thing that works the most and what drives the whole film forward are the three main characters, whom we spend the most time with. These are great performances overall. By the witty and realistic conversations they have between each other, it almost feels as we’re in the room with them and know them inside and out; we know them just by the way they interact and the way they speak to each other. We do like them and care about whatever happens to them; even if they did something stupid or did something wrong, it’s hard for us to hate them or even dislike them. They aren’t horrible people; they’re very human and we truly care about them and relate to them. Because of these characters and the decisions they take, the events and turns that the film takes are interesting and sometimes very unexpected. I can’t say what happens in the plot, because I don’t want to spoil it, but let’s just say that there’s a lot of talking. If you just want a film about life, no action scenes or anything, just a lot of talking, then this is a really good film, especially if you have a sibling.
This film does explore sibling relationship and how it almost affects or something even influences love relationships. It really does help the fact that, in the movie, Iris used to date Jack’s brother. It almost explains why Jack would have slept with Hannah in the first place; because she’s the closest thing to Iris that he’ll ever have. So the title Your Sister’s Sister works very well in that context, but also heavily connects to the themes of the film. There are other touches in the story that work very well.
I don’t know if this is just me, but I felt that there was some sort of motif; characters bonding over with food and drink. It’s something that kept appearing over and over again. For example, the first time Hannah and Jack meet, they drink tequila and talk to each other about their problems. I really liked that. I felt it was a very nice and subtle detail to the film, and I don’t think any other film has done that.
The story is handled perfectly well from beginning to end. I’m mentioning this, because as I was watching the ending, I was saying to myself “I’ve seen directors fail at this so many times. PLEASE, Lynn Shelton. Don’t fail me now that you’ve handled the story so well so far! Give me the ending I want!” I won’t spoil what happens, but let me just say the director didn’t disappoint me. When the ending was executed, I kept saying to myself in the movie theatre “PERFECT! That ending was EXCELLENT! THANK YOU!” So kudos to you, Shelton!
Do I have any complaints? Well, it’s just a nitpick. As great as the performances between Emily Blunt and Rosemarie DeWitt were, I didn’t buy them as sisters. And no, it’s not because Iris has a British accent unlike her sister; I have a friend with a British accent whose sister has an American accent. It’s just that they don’t look anything alike! There’s very little family resemblance! But then again, (to some people) me and my sister look more like cousins than actual sisters. Oh well, this is just a nitpick and it doesn’t really matter.
This film is very simple but very happy and charming; very subtle but also very beautiful. It has a warm inviting feel to it, the film is well-paced for 90 minutes, the film is beautifully photographed, the story’s emotional and the characters are superb. I say definitely give it a watch. I think you’ll really like what you see.
