Katie (Fey) and Maura (Poehler) throw one final party in the childhood home in “Sisters”. Photo by K.C. Bailey.
Considering the comedic chemistry that is apparent between Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to find out that they are long lost sisters. In Sisters, these Saturday Night Live alumnae join forces once again to portray siblings who have, for very different reasons, found themselves 40-ish and alone. Ever the party girl Katie (Fey) is still sowing her wild oats while her teenaged daughter Hayley (Madison Davenport) finds herself taking up the responsibility role, growing more and more estranged from her mother as a result. Maura (Poehler), on the other hand, is always more concerned with the well being of others than she is of herself, which is probably why her recent divorce still weighs heavily on her conscience. When they find out their parents (James Brolin and Dianne Wiest) are selling their childhood home, Katie and Maura decide to have one final epic party like the ones they used to have in high school.
With most of their high school friends having settled into careers, marriage and parenthood, it takes a while for everyone to let loose like they did in their youth. Good thing they invited any random person they talked to earlier in the day – that cute guy James from down the street (Ike Barinholtz), the Korean pedicure girl (Greta Lee), sleazy drunkard Dave (John Leguizamo), and various other former SNLers (Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Bobby Moynihan, Kate McKinnon) – to get things going. But it’s not until Dave’s friend thuggish drug-dealing friend Pazuzu (former WWE‘s John Cena sporting a weird neck and face tattoo) arrives that the fun really begins. (In much the same way he did in Trainwreck, Cena proves to be a great comedic talent.)
Wild girl Katie hits on drug-dealing thug Pazuzu (Cena). Photo by K.C. Bailey.
Having already had several sexual encounters in their childhood bedroom, Katie remains sober in hopes that Maura can pass this rite of passage with James before the sale of the house is finalized. Even drunk and stoned, however, Maura remains as awkward as ever, resulting in some hilariously uncomfortable romantic moments. With a couple of noise complaints, a swimming pool filled with blue paint and Alex (Moynihan) inadvertently ingesting some of Pazuzu’s stronger stimulants, this party gets out of control just in time for Katie and Maura’s parents to arrive with Hayley. Despite this disastrously fun night, the family is able to come together to make the necessary repairs (to the house and their relationships), finding comedy even within the tragedy of destroying the house they were so attached to. In the end, they are able to spend a happy Christmas together in their new home thanks to the emotional rebuilding that takes place in the aftermath of the chaos.