Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-17 06:15:42

One of the best films of the year

I was fortunate to see this film twice - once when it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and again in Los Angeles, and all I can say is this is by far the best film of the year.The all-star (and I do mean all-star) cast is in top form as they verbally joust with words from the equally-as-superior screenplay. I was intellectually stimulated in the theater for the first time in years -- and that is enough to qualify this film in the "best of the year" category for me.

2012-05-16 12:09:06

A must see film

This review is from: The Sisters (DVD) This is another surprising indy film that brings together a good cast, a good story and good direction. It's dialogue may be over the top for anyone who does not have a college education (it is set in the academic world and the cast talk like academics) but it is a fun film to watch and I was glad to have purchased it.

2012-05-05 23:51:06

Does Chekov credit

This film is terrifically well done. Yes, it's a bit stagey but I liked that. The dialog harks back to the 19th Century, especially in the beginning when the denisons of the Faculty Lounge sparred with each other, over chess and the newspaper. I think the director struck just the right balance of honoring Chekov and serving a modern audience. The performances are perfect. Maria Bello surely deserves an Oscar for this one! How rare to find so much talent so beautifully packaged. The story is dense and complicated as are the characters. There's lots of intensely emotional stuff going on, which could be confusing or overwhelming or exhausting. But it's all done so well that I was carried smoothly through each moment, up to the satisfying conclusion.The character of Marcia, played so amazingly by Bello, is the center of the tornado. We hate her, love her, empathize for her and are repelled by her. The outsider, Nancy, is her personal nemesis, and one has to wonder just why Marcia hates her so much, since Marcia is anything but a petty person. Her complaints dwell on class but I think it has more to do with her obvious sexuality which mirrors Marcia's own. Nancy accepts (flaunts) hers while Marcia's sexuality is obviously much more problemmatic. In the end, it seems that Nancy is the real winner, even as she gives up her goal of being one of the sisters. (It's always a treatto see Rip Torn.) This is a rich, satisfying film. Enjoy it with friends as it will give you a lot to talk about!

Bivas Biswas 2012-05-05 17:52:17

Excellent Cast, Direction and Script

I had the privilege of meeting the Director, Arthur Allan Siedelman atthe screening of this film. This is probably the first "dialogue-heavy"movie that I really liked. This film is based on Chekov's "The ThreeSisters" which is a great story to begin with. The acting is in one word stunning. Script is like I said very rich indialogue. Allan Siedelman's direction is very enticing and inviting.I'll root for Maria Bello for an Oscar nomination for her brilliantperformance. Scoring is beautiful but subtle. When released, this movie should draw rave reviews and can only be moresuccessful as more people get to watch it.

bradsbarnes 2012-04-29 03:04:25

Anger In The Academic World

THE SISTERS is an honest attempt at American tragedy. We are living inthe American century (expiration date: 2045 a.d.). Tragedy ishistorically the result of Fate, deprivation or ethnic conflict. SinceAmerica is poly-theistic, wealthy and multi-cultural, it is difficultto craft an authentically American tragic narrative. Americans have toomany choices to be reasonably cornered-into making a tragic decision.American movies have historically been optimistic, that's why ourentertainment has been so successfully exported around the world. Wedelivered Art Deco opulence with "Fred and Ginger" during the depths ofthe Great Depression, THE SOUND OF MUSIC during the escalation of theVietnam War, and JAWS during the Watergate detoxification. America isnot a tragedy-ridden culture, so we must stage our tragedies on anintimate scale, keep it close to home, so to speak. THE SISTERS wiselykeeps the tragedy close to the chest. Child incest. Adolescent sexualabuse co-dependency. Marital emotional battering. Adultery.Homosexuality. Addiction to crystal methampetimine. And a jagged littlegreen pill called "jealousy". Every American can relate to jealousy:that is our cultural Achille's Heel, after all. By layering one HotButton topic over another, THE SISTERS leaves many promising topicsunresolved, and perhaps fails to resolve any single topicsatisfactorily. But compared to films such as ONE THOUSAND ACRES or THEUPSIDE OF ANGER, THE SISTERS covers its' territory with greaterassurance and less contrivance. That is largely due to the leadperformance by the always-impressive Maria Bello. Bello's movie careeris one of depicting small hurts that can spiral into tragedy. Bellodoesn't roll with the punches that life throws, but no one takes apunch better than Maria. Bello is the actress that Courtney Loveaspired to be back in the 1990's; raw, whip-smart and reckless; and aperformer who always gives 110%. Bello's eyes are not blue, her postureisn't perfect, and she doesn't have an Australian accent. But Belloknows how to walk in high heels, has more than held her own against noless than Mel Gibson (PAYBACK), and registers every emotional slightwith the facility of a Juliette Binoche. Bello made a romantic leadingman out of William H. Macy (THE COOLER) and convincingly kicked ViggoMortensen to the curb (A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE). Bello takespotentially-thankless roles (the proprietor of COYOTE UGLY, forexample) and slowly squeezes each moment into a diamond. In THESISTERS, Bello plays a survivor of child abuse in an empty marriage whoputs everyone she loves through hell by her relentless airing offamilial dirty laundry. As Glenn Close might say, Bello will not beignored! But unlike the proficient but somewhat empty tirades ofElizabeth Taylor in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, Bello uses hervoice like a concert pianist: she is never just reciting the lines orplaying to the back wall of the theater. Bello modulates herperformance so that we can forgive the bombast and embrace the smalltruths which she utters. While playing a character who always has afrog ready to leap out of her throat, Bello never loses sight of thehumanity behind the histrionics. It is one hell of a turn! By contrast,no one is better at phoning it in than Rip Torn, who; although he hasthe best lines in the movie; is also the least fully-drawn character.Tony Goldwyn is artificially parachuted-in to this family's seventhcircle of hell, but he manages to acquit himself admirably. EricMcCormick starts in a dark place on the balcony and marinates there forthe full stretch: we never really find out what's eating Eric. Is ErikaCristensen (TRAFFIC, anyone?) to be cast as an upper-class Meth addictfor the rest of her career? Cristensen's recovery is remarkablypainless, especially when compared to, say, Jamie Foxx's in RAY. MaryStuart Masterson, like her fellow Brat Pack alumni Mare Winningham,brings effortless professionalism to roles that contain only hints of aperson with an inner life. She is once again not allowed an emotionalbreakthrough in her buttoned-up Academic character. By setting thestory in academia, a certain stuffiness threatens to muck-up thenarrative but, again, Bello keeps it raw from tip to tail. In highereducation, objectivity is in short supply and access to the innercircle is highly restricted. Just like family, if you think about it.Such isolation allows otherwise avoidable indiscretions to becomeviolations of murderous magnitude. THE SISTERS recognizes that if younever let the cat out of the bag, when you least expect it, that catwill hand you your hat. As a warning against letting a littleall-American jealousy get the better of you, THE SISTERS delivers thegoods!

Factory_Girl 2012-04-28 16:08:32

Well-acted dramedy with a few flaws

'The Sisters' is a lovely little family drama that I nearly missed.Obviously, I was glad I didn't.At first, the movie just looks like two hours of people fighting witheach other, and it is. But (highly due to Ms. Bello's performance)thereis so much more than that: a human aspect and real characters (for themost part). However one-note the people may be, the writer adds littlethings here and there to make them diverse and relatable.Maria Bello, as always, is amazing. She plays the angry sister, the onewho is always prepared for an argument. Her performance is the bestthing about the film. Bello expertly shows the changes her characterexperiences over the course of the movie. In the beginning, she is justshown as a snotty, sarcastic, rude woman. Over time, she lets us seethe hidden vulnerability of a normally dull character, and by the endof the movie, Bello not only plays her part but becomes it, creating ahuman out of a very underwritten role.Erika Christensen was a surprise. While she is not Evan Rachel Wood orScarlett Johansson, she still has plenty talent for someone so young.With only one above average performance to her name (Traffic), Iexpected much less of her but she blew me away with her performance asthe shy little sister. She is quite promising and again, I hope to seemore of her.The rest of the cast is just as good. Elizabeth Banks plays her roleperfectly. She makes a seemingly one-dimensional person show moreemotion than expected. Mary Stuart Masterson is also good, but I foundher performance the most lacking.Now for the flaws: the screenplay. Truthfully, they are all supposed tobe college professors or students, but the vocabulary used is the mostadvanced I've seen in a film. This may sound like a stupid flaw, but itwas the thing I noticed the most while watching this movie as it is asunrealistic as possible. It proves effective in a multitude ofarguments, but it doesn't reveal anything about the characters asidefrom the fact that they are inhumanly smart. The other flaw is that thebrother barely has any historical background shown, while his sistersreveal many of their memories; however, he is never in them. If thefilmmakers had explored the characters, their relationships, and theirmotivation more, some of their actions wouldn't seem so absurd or outof place.A very charming movie about anger, forgiveness, and family. ***/****.

2012-04-28 04:03:00

Well done, not for everyone

Chekhov's coutryman Leo Tolstoy said that "every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Maybe so, the Prior/Prozorov family is certainly unhappy (and as some negative reviews have indicated, insufferable) in a way many of us would hope to avoid, but their pain is nevertheless accessible in this story. Anyone considering this film should go in knowing that it deals with a painful story of wounded souls. If you're not up for the genre, pass on this out of hand. It starts off sad and gets sadder. Hey, it's Chekhov for goodness sake. And speaking of Chekhov, it's theatre, so be prepared for the mannered dialog and the fact that most of the story takes place on a single set.Everyone in the cast turns in a top-notch and complex performance that allows the viewer to have compassion for characters one would most wish to avoid in real life. As Donald Rumsfeld might say, you go through life with the family you have, not the family you'd wish to have.The story here is how Prior/Prozorov family goes through that life and how they pay the price for the choices they make and the circumstances they couldn't avoid. If you're up for a glimpse into their journey, you will enjoy this story.At the same time I would point out that I sympathize with the negative reviews. If you see any glimmer of similar tastes that click with you in the negative reviews (in particular discussions of the screenwriter/playwright's use of dialog and the character of the characters), stay away. This story is not for everybody.Finally I'd say that the DVD is way overpriced for a production of this type that includes little in the way of extras. Rent don't buy.

Spaceygirl 2012-04-27 09:02:07

Wordy but Wonderful

An adaptation of Chekhov's "The three sisters" which is a wordy anddepressing play, "The Sisters" is a film that packs a powerful punchinto its short 113 minutes. The script is verbose and dialogue heavy,allowing for wonderful interaction between the characters. Thecharacters themselves are well fleshed out, allowing us insight totheir strengths and flaws. As an ensemble cast the acting is simplyoutstanding, Maria Bello giving a searingly honest performance as aself-obsessed, self-hating, unhappy woman stuck in a loveless marriage.Mary Stuart Masterson matches her scene for scene and the interactionbetween these two characters are some of the most powerful in themovie. Erika Christensen, however, seems miscast in the role of a methaddict, being too baby-faced and plump for the part, but its a minorquibble. Eric McKormack from TV's Will & Grace comes out of nowherewith a performance that simply dazzles with intensity and passion. RipTorn rounds out the cast with a more mannered performance than usualand his character is simply there to observe and be our eyes to thisfamily drama. Not a very happy film and the ending leaves one feelingslightly unsatisfied, it is nevertheless a wonderful example ofindependent film making.

Jackson Van Nostrand 2012-04-25 17:47:34

Best film I rented this year!

I went to the video store last weekend not really knowing whichhorrible studio film I wanted to fall asleep to - the weekend prior Iwatched Hillary Swank's awful film THE REAPING... good premise, poorlyexecuted. And why an Oscar winner starred, I have no idea?? Whichbrought me to THE SISTERS, and also probably answers my last question -Swank never could of wrapped her head around the dialogue with the samewit and sarcasm Maria Bello is able to execute. Why Bello hasn't won anOscar, I have no idea -- she most definitely should of won a few awardsfor her star turn in THE SISTERS -- if not an Oscar, at least anIndependent Spirit. This film gives it's viewers something magical tohold onto - rich dialogue that speaks to the soul and the mind (wordswith more than 1 or 2 syllables, oh my!!); actors who act with passionfor a project and a screenplay they must of really believed in -because you know they didn't get paid for this film and you can't pullthe wool over this many stars eyes!! Director Arthur Allan Seidelmanhas been around for a while and brings his A-game to adapting Chekov'smasterpiece. The writer is a wizard of vocabulary who obviouslyunderstood the essence of what old Anton was trying to teach us all.Kudos to the writer, director, actors and crew - your efforts to bringquality American cinema to the screen is much appreciated!

gradyharp 2012-04-25 13:18:48

A Reminder of How Powerful Theater Can Be

THE SISTERS is adapted by Richard Alfieri from his play 'The Sisters'which in turn was adapted from Anton Chekov's 'The Three Sisters': thetheatrical aspects of the play remain intact in this film version - andthat is most definitely a plus! All of the action takes place on anobvious set (an enormously beautiful Faculty Lounge for a universitywhere nearly everyone in the play is employed, and in a hospitalwaiting room) and the lines are richly imbued with dialogue thatmirrors Chekov's form despite the fact that Chekov's play has beenupdated to the present time with all the changes (and similarities!) ofmodern day family life.The story is well known: a family of three sisters and a baby brotherare both united and bonded by the past and show the scars of maturingon their journeys from a childhood to adulthood with a father that wasboth a hero to some and an incestuous attacker to another. One by oneeach of the sisters and the brother peel away the trappings that hideeach other's realities and make public the pain endured in theirdysfunctional family. Maria Bello as Marcia carries the bulk of thestory as the abused, spiteful, vitriolic, unhappy head of the familyunit: she is astonishingly fine. Mary Stuart Masterson is Olga, thecloseted lesbian chancellor who has never had the luxury of sharing herprivate feelings with her sisters for fear of the consequences of hersexuality. Erika Christensen is the youngest sister Irene whose painfullife as being treated as a child leads to her life of drug abuse.Allesandro Nivola is Andrew, the baby brother left in charge of thefamily estate in the South and has married a trashy, mouthy floozyNancy (Elizabeth Banks) who is the sole challenge to the family'sunity. The stalwart Greek chorus is the old professor Dr. Chebrin (RipTorn) who watches as the various characters tangential to thiscrumbling family vie for inclusion: Gary Sokol (Eric McCormack) whoseasides keep the theatrical flavor moving; David Turzin (ChrisO'Donnell) who loves and wants to possess Irene and is in bittercompetition with Gary for her affections; psychologist husband ofMarcia Dr. Harry Glass (Steven Culp); and the visitor from the pastVincent Antonelli (Tony Goldwyn) who changes Marcia's existencetransiently. Each actor is superb, playing the marvelous dialogue forall its worth and giving us fully realized characterizations. ArthurAllan Seidelman is the fine director and the elegant musical score isby Thomas Morse.There is action in this story and movement inside and outside the waysfilms should be shot when making a play into a movie. But for those wholove the theater seeing this film little film will create a desire tohave this exact company of actors set up shop in a nearby legitimatetheater to allow for the grand impact of a fine play sifted through afine adaptation to be absorbed repeatedly. Highly recommended. GradyHarp

centralparknyc 2012-04-25 15:03:20

"The Big Chill" meets "War of the Roses"

This movie has a lot of potential. The cast looks good on paper. Theaccessibility of family conflict isn't out out of range. The conflictbetween the characters in this ensemble piece about a family and theirlove/hate relationships is the core of this film. I kept waiting forsomething BIG to happen that would change everything. There were 2events that tried to do that and one smaller event between the 2 thatimpacted the story, but not enough to give it the deep plot developmentthat a movie based on so much dialogue deserves. The sequel to thismovie could end up being better than the original should a sequel everbe written.

2012-04-25 03:53:35

The Spewers

This is not a movie; it is a rant. This is not a family; it is a cabal. There are no people in this movie; there are only predators. There is no dialogue here; there is only bile.Less watchable than pornography (which at least may have attractive flesh) or gore (which may at least have clever invention), this is just undammed hatred.

2012-04-21 22:47:38

Partay!

Essentially, a two-stage play, modern-set Victorian, visually lavish, in which the convincing (if extroverted) inner turmoils of a family of three girls, and one disjointed brother, are evolved from early paternal abuse and expressed with an overstated zeal for the academia in which they live, resulting in a family that just does NOT know how to party.

outhereinla 2012-04-21 04:24:10

A must-see for anyone interested in independent film-making

Without a doubt, one of the best independent films this decade.With a dialogue-rich script that reminds us why we enjoy cinema (nospecial effects here!), and helmed by one of the only director's inHollywood capable of gathering a cast of this magnitude (check out hiscredits -- they're unbelievable!), THE SISTERS takes the audience on ajourney into a family's inner workings - flaws, affairs, workingdysfunctions and all.Maria Bello gives a dynamic, deep and moving performance, which I heardshe won several awards for on the festival circuit.Eric McCormack comes out of no where with a raw intensity that changesthe way you will see him.Tony Goldwyn's masculine sexuality proves his leading man status willfor sure keep him working for years to come.But none of the above would have been possible without a script writtenas brilliantly as this one. Dialogue-rich, this script delivers anemotional journey with powerful scenes that keeps the story moving andthe momentum growing - all culminating in a climax of intensity anddrama that hits you with the realities of the illusion of family.This is a staunchly independent film that anyone interested in superbcinema should definitely see.

2012-04-20 14:28:22

A Reminder of How Powerful Theater Can Be

THE SISTERS is adapted by Richard Alfieri from his play 'The Sisters' which in turn was adapted from Anton Chekov's 'The Three Sisters': the theatrical aspects of the play remain intact in this film version - and that is most definitely a plus! All of the action takes place on an obvious set (an enormously beautiful Faculty Lounge for a university where nearly everyone in the play is employed, and in a hospital waiting room) and the lines are richly imbued with dialogue that mirrors Chekov's form despite the fact that Chekov's play has been updated to the present time with all the changes (and similarities!) of modern day family life.The story is well known: a family of three sisters and a baby brother are both united and bonded by the past and show the scars of maturing on their journeys from a childhood to adulthood with a father that was both a hero to some and an incestuous attacker to another. One by one each of the sisters and the brother peel away the trappings that hide each other's realities and make public the pain endured in their dysfunctional family. Maria Bello as Marcia carries the bulk of the story as the abused, spiteful, vitriolic, unhappy head of the family unit: she is astonishingly fine. Mary Stuart Masterson is Olga, the closeted lesbian chancellor who has never had the luxury of sharing her private feelings with her sisters for fear of the consequences of her sexuality. Erika Christensen is the youngest sister Irene whose painful life as being treated as a child leads to her life of drug abuse. Allesandro Nivola is Andrew, the baby brother left in charge of the family estate in the South and has married a trashy, mouthy floozy Nancy (Elizabeth Banks) who is the sole challenge to the family's unity. The stalwart Greek chorus is the old professor Dr. Chebrin (Rip Torn) who watches as the various characters tangential to this crumbling family vie for inclusion: Gary Sokol (Eric McCormack) whose asides keep the theatrical flavor moving; David Turzin (Chris O'Donnell) who loves and wants to possess Irene and is in bitter competition with Gary for her affections; psychologist husband of Marcia Dr. Harry Glass (Steven Culp); and the visitor from the past Vincent Antonelli (Tony Goldwyn) who changes Marcia's existence transiently. Each actor is superb, playing the marvelous dialogue for all its worth and giving us fully realized characterizations. Arthur Allan Seidelman is the fine director and the elegant musical score is by Thomas Morse.There is action in this story and movement inside and outside the ways films should be shot when making a play into a movie. But for those who love the theater seeing this film little film will create a desire to have this exact company of actors set up shop in a nearby legitimate theater to allow for the grand impact of a fine play sifted through a fine adaptation to be absorbed repeatedly. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, June 06

mitchabramson 2012-04-20 01:24:38

sophomoric attempt at insight

It's not enough for the director to parade overeducated ill-temperedfemales into the imagined space of the faculty lounge, he seeks toimbue them with imagined glamor or "righteousness" in that theyinterrupt one another (even when making birthday speeches) withcriticisms on grammar. His knowledge of drug-use is even moredistressingly inadequate than his shocking misunderstanding of theintellectualism his characters demonstrate. The young sister, her facefull of baby fat and a demeanor more akin to someone tranquilized isportrayed as a meth addict, and the educated elite can do nothing buttell her "it'll be alright." Maria Bello's character seems to enjoycuckolding her husband for months at a time, but that part of the movieis simply skipped, and we never learn a thing why she enjoys (loves)the man she is having an affair with. The most tragic part of the movieis the director's mis-use of "Nancy," the somewhat trashy salesgirlmarrying the weak brother. It was as if Seidelman was afraid thischaracter might come-alive and eat his lunch, so she also was muzzledand made somewhat impotent. We learn nothing from Mr. Seidelman otherthan he needs an education (in life) before he starts anotherpretentious effort at biting off more than he can chew.

2012-04-20 20:08:03

One of the best independent films in years!

The Sisters, with its stellar cast & spectacular script, sizzles with sex appeal, rich dialogue, and an incredible story of the sometimes difficult bond we often share with family.The director of this film, Arthur Allan Seidelman, rounded himself up a star-studded bunch -- although I'm sure actors were just begging to wrap their heads around the dynamic script by Richard Alfieri.I just can't imagine any director or any script having the capability of gathering such a cast -- and this is an independent film, so they surely weren't working for the money.Fans of Will & Grace will be thrilled to see Eric McCormack's complete 180' -- I've never seen him like this before. Tony Goldwyn oozes masculine sex appeal while Maria Bello lights up the screen with her golden locks and fixating stares. She's pure beauty. The Sisters was definitely one of the best independent film of the past few years.

2012-04-19 23:46:24

Overheated TV Soap

When the former assistant to a deceased eminent academic comes to payhis respects to the great man's family, the visit stirs old, halfhidden conflicts and triggers an avalanche of emotions in thisoverheated, theatrical drawing room drama based on Anton Chekhov'splay, "The Three Sisters." (Richard Alfieri wrote the screenplay, whichhe adapted from his own updating of Chekhov's play.) Maria Bello, MaryStuart Masterson and Erika Christensen play, respectively, Marcia, Olgaand Irene, the three Prior daughters.Ms. Bello holds center stage most of the time, hurling one angry speechafter another at just about anyone in shouting distance (though they'reall in one room). She is angry primarily because her fathersystematically abused her sexually as a child, second because HarryGlass (Steven Culp), the psychologist she married, has not been able toheal her deeply wounded personality, and, finally and most recently,because Vincent Antonelli (Tony Goldwyn), the visitor, a man she becomeinstantly infatuated with, turns down her overtures and leaves.Baby sister Irene turns her hostility inward, and galvanizes everyone'sattention by taking a large drug overdose. Andrew Prior (AlessandroNivola), their brother, is angry too, but in sneakier fashion. He's madbecause his sisters bully him and dislike his fiancée/bride Nancy(Elizabath Banks), who's also a nasty sort, someone deserving of thesisters' contempt. Then there's the incendiary social scienceprofessor, Gary Sokol (Eric McCormack), whose explosive behavior neverceases. Sokol's mad because Irene prefers another suitor, Sokol'serstwhile buddy, philosophy professor David Turzin (Chris O'Donnell),who doesn't seem to be mad at anyone. Olga, a bleak, unfulfilledLesbian, at least keeps her unhappiness contained. She is the mostdignified member of the family.Somehow the veteran actor Rip Torn got himself inserted into thisliteral madhouse as old Professor Chebrin. And while Mr. Torn has beenmemorably hostile in some of his films (he's played gangsters, toughsoldiers, tougher cops, Richard Nixon and even Judas Iscariot among 165roles spanning a 50 year career), he's quite the good humored, sanguinefellow here, almost alone as a source of equanimity in theseproceedings.The screenplay is freighted with long, formalized verbal oratorios:these people don't talk like people talk. Such verbiage works on stagebut is nearly always poison on the screen. The director, Mr. Seidelman,has made nearly 70 films, but almost all for television. This mayexplain the overacted, soap operatic tone of this movie. You've got toshout it out to be heard above the din of family life on the boob-tube.But the clamor of this film is ratcheted up way too much forpleasurable viewing on the big screen. (The IMDb says this film is 113minutes long, so somewhere along the line 28 minutes got cut to createthe version I viewed. Probably a good thing.) My Grade: 5/10 C

2012-04-16 10:49:17

"Darling, discretion is called for even in intimate relationships"

The Sisters is a movie that will no doubt polarize audiences. The critics hated it when it came out in theatres earlier this year with most of them labeling the film as a madly overwritten, pompous, dour, and overwrought psychodrama with about as much subtly as a sledgehammer. Yes - it's all those things, but the fact that it's so over-the-top is the reason why the film works. And it also features some great acting - particularly by Maria Bello. Loosely adapted from the Chekhov play, The Three Sisters, The Sisters is all about sibling rivalry, intellectual snobbery and betrayal in love. Under Arthur Allan Seidelman's accomplished direction, The Sisters has a heightened artificially, with the actors performing as though they are actually on the stage. This can be a bit jarring and grating at first, but once you get used to it, it becomes quite effective because it reminds us of the stuffy intellectual insularity of this family and their world.Even before the youngest Prior sister Irine (Erika Christensen) arrives for her annual "surprise" birthday party at a Manhattan faculty club, the characters are managing to spew hatred and vitriol at each other. Marcia (Bello) is deeply unhappy in her marriage with Dr. Harry Glass (Stephen Culp) whom she met while attending a psychiatric conference and she's spent most of her adult life carrying deep-seated emotional baggage.Molested by her father, when she was a little girl, Maria resents that fact that her older sister Olga (Mary Stuart Masterson) who never bothered to take the molestation seriously. She's also angry that her darling kid brother David (Alessandro Nivola) who has gone and married the flashy and trashy - but also shrewd and oddly dignified - Nancy (Elizabeth Banks), a former sales girl with a Brooklyn accent. Much of the first half of the movie involves Marcia venting her anger, picking at the poor insecure Nancy for not being educated and sophisticated enough for David or for her family. Into this psychosexual morass wanders Vincent (Tony Goldwyn) as their father's former assistant who takes an instant liking to Marcia. He's not put off by her emotional cruelty; in fact, it's one of the many things he seems to admire about her. Also attending the faculty club is Sokol (Eric McCormack), a compulsive cynic, whose dry wit gets on everyone's nerves and David (Chris O'Donnell), an earnest young man, both vying for Irene's attention. There's also a jolly old professor (Rip Torn), who acts as a type of cipher and witness to all this rabid dysfunction. From the outset it is obvious these sisters are all highly educated and accomplished, representing all there is to aspire to in terms of learning and academia, but inside they're roiling with unreleased emotion: Approaching middle age, Olga hides her sexual orientation, remaining deeply closeted and lonely. Irene has become addicted to crystal meth and ends up in the hospital, and Marcia...well, she's just an angry and neurotic basket case who seems to have wasted much of her life on being emotionally cruel to everyone around her. The acting is strong, with Bello the centerpiece of all this swirling resentment and desire that persistently engulfs the family. The actress really manages to bring out Marcia's sadism, vulnerability, self-disgust, and the playfulness, and a frustrating sexual longing. The script is sophisticated, with the vitriolic barbs flying every which way - it's all about the verbal sparring of the intellectual set. The production design is quite beautiful and it emphasizes the stuffy claustrophobia of these characters inner lives. The Sisters -and also most of the other characters in the film - are unable to intuit and break though the emotional constraints around them. The only way they no how to do this is with trading insults, rudeness and ugly behavior. More than any of them, Marcia is often stymied by her past and by her family's urge to overanalyze feelings right out of existence. She's just so damaged by life's hard knocks that she just can't cope with any expression of sensitivity or kindness. In the end she achieves some sort of peace, but her eventual salvation comes at a terrible price. Mike Leonard June 06.

saberlee44 2012-04-16 06:47:17

I have a headache THIS BIG!!!!!

As so many of the other comments have beautifully synopsized this film,I won't spend much time repeating the plot. Yes, this film is aboutthree sisters and a brother in a college town, coming to grips withthemselves and each other after their father's death.What bothered me throughout the entire film was the writing. I was tookeenly aware of the writer himself, as opposed to watching a reallygood film and saying to myself afterward, "That was beautifullywritten." Rather, with this film, I could picture the writer saying,"Wow, that was a really good line!" "Here's some big words I can stringtogether!" "Yes! Great line!" Full disclosure: as a writer myself, Ifully understand the joy in this, but the characters should take centerstage, NOT the writer. I could not get the image of this writer pattinghimself on the back until it was beet red.I liked Eric McCormack and Erica Christensen, though I would have likedto have learned more about Erica's character, Irene. Chris O'Donnell isnever very interesting to me. Too vanilla. Okay, those are actors. Backto the film.The character of Marcia (Maria Bello) was completely unsympathetic tome. She was far more interested in forming complex, multi-syllabicwords, showing off her pedigree, and spewing "clever" insults ratherthan dealing with her demons. Her hatred for her brother's wife, Nancy,was over-the-top and she asked for everything she got in return.Stephen Culp, as her Desperate husband, seemed to just languish. Inever really did feel the spark or notice much develop between Marciaand Victor (Tony Goldwyn), so I was completed unimpressed during thescene where they had to part ways, because Victor, as much as he lovedher (hello??) could not leave his daughters to be raised by his wife.Noble, but trust me fella, you got out while the getting was good. Thedrama queen wiped away her mascara and found something else to tortureherself with!Supposedly, this wild passion and love ignited between Marcia andVictor almost immediately. Excuse me, I think I blinked during thefilm. I must have missed it. My apologies.Mary Stuart Masterson as Olga was far more believable as a character.Unfortunately, the viewer was treated to such an overdose of Marciathat the other characters were overshadowed. I would have liked tounderstood Olga more.Eric McCormack (Gary Sokol), managed to take his angst-filled, bitterlysarcastic character and make him believable. I hated the characterthrough most of the film, but in a way one is supposed to hate acharacter -- because the actor is doing his job -- not hating acharacter because he's a tangle of stereotypes, throwing it all outthere (or out the window) and hoping something will stick! Marcia! Marcia! Marcia! I imagine this is one of those films that one will either love or hate.I cannot say that it was a terrible film just because I didn't like it;I can only explain my reasons for wanting to muzzle Marcia. I can saythat I tend to prefer plays in the theater. Taking them out of theirnatural habitat often ruffles the beast.Despite the abuse perpetrated on her by her father, Marcia just didn'tmake me care about her in any way at all. Any moment, I expected her tosay, "Okay, enough about me. Let's talk about me." My recommendation isto see this film and decide for yourself. I watched it expecting toreally like it. I WANTED to like it. Just didn't happen.