Your Sister's Sister
2012 Directed by Lynn Shelton
Synopsis
A comedy about doing the right thing with the wrong person.
One year after his brother’s death, Jack hasn’t recovered. His best friend, Iris, prescribes solitary reflection and sends him to her father’s empty cabin. But she doesn’t realize her sister, Hannah, is there for similar reasons, having just walked out on a seven-year relationship. Over tequila shots, Hannah and Jack get acquainted. When Iris drops in unexpectedly, complications arise in the form of rivalry and more than a few surprising revelations.
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Easy to want to compare this one to Lynn Shelton's earlier film Humpday, which also stars Mark Duplass. Here, the acting is on a higher level, the characters are more likable, the story is more compact physically and emotionally, and the cinematography is much stronger.
With that out of the way, I can simply say that I found this one to be a terrific little character piece from three superb actors. This kind of introverted, self-analyzing talkfest will not be to everyone's taste. I have gotten used to the style, though, after watching a few of these mumblecore pictures. I like it.
It was interesting watching a picture that was all character "substance" and very little "style -- and then immediately switching to Moonrise Kingdom, which is all style and not much substance. Fun contrast.
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So this is what Lynn Shelton's capable of. I was fond of "Humpday" without really being over the moon for it, but it at least piqued my interest enough to be optimistic about her follow-up. "Your Sister's Sister" proves that my faith was warranted, as it is the kind of movie that I've been craving more and more lately: a smart, warm, competent drama.
That's probably the key word - competent. Where "Humpday" felt kind of tossed-off and intentionally disheveled, this film is a much more mature affair. Sure, this movie still has the trappings of mumblecore, with its improvisational feel ripped out of the Cassavetes playbook, but everything seems much more focused this time, from the plot to the…
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Film #54 of The December Project
I'm starting to think Mark Duplass was put on this earth just make me say "Awww" a lot. He is just the most adorable creature I've ever seen.
So was there a film I was reviewing? Oh right. Your Sister's Sister is a really great little indie film about a guy who's getting over the death of his brother, his female best friend who is dealing with a bad case of unrequited love, and her lesbian sister who just got out of a 7-year relationship. They all find themselves in a cute little cabin in the woods (no, it's not a meta-horror film) and have a fun couple of days drinking tequila, sleeping together,…
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Incredibly well-done film. The cinematography was absolutely stunning. The acting was great, there were some incredibly funny moments, and some really tear-jerking scenes. I love films like that, one moment you laugh, the next your teary-eyed.
We have a man named Jack (Mark Duplass) whom recently lost his brother, Tom, a year prior to the first scene in the film. Iris (Emily Blunt) Jack's really great friend, tells him to get away and compose himself at her fathers cabin. She tells him the place will be empty and he will have place to himself. We follow Jack on his journey to Iris' fathers cabin, while on this journey we witness some of the most beautiful shots of nature. I couldn't…
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Shot in a small house with three actors over the course of twelve days, Your Sister's Sister if nothing else is proof that you can still make a mostly successful small movie with limited resources. Writer/director Lynn Shelton brought together a fine trio of actors -- Mark Duplass, Emily Blunt and Rosemarie DeWitt (who replaced Rachel Weisz after a push back in the schedule) -- and let them tell the story of these people over the course of one common stay at the family lake house of the two women.
It's a very simple premise that builds itself primarily around the interactions of the characters, and thanks to the cast this is where it shines the brightest. Using a lot…
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I'm increasingly falling for both mumblecore and Mark Duplass...
And this is really advanced mumblecore, with an incredible strong cast as its easily strongest asset. Duplass, Blunt and DeWitt are incredible, have such an amazing chemistry, and they get both long-term relationships so spot on.
The story isn't anything special, and that's okay. It doesn't need to be. It's the interactions, the dialogues, the relationships and the unsaid that matters. I also have to mention the scenery as the cabin is truly placed beautifully, and there's some amazing shots of the surroundings every so often.
On its own I don't mind the kind of slow start or the kind of wobbly steps towards the end, as we need an intro…
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(w/ commentary by Lynn Shelton and Mark Duplass)
This commentary track certainly added to my appreciation of the acting in this film, particularly in the second act climax (where all secrets are revealed) and Jack's final speech. Lots of good tidbits on the filmmaking techniques too (including its being shot in 12 days!). Worth a listen.
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A simply wonderful film handicapped only by its largely improvised script. Given the risk that a shooting script would have changed the tone or charming wit of the dialogue, however, I'd happily let it stand as is. Blunt is the weak link (her character is annoying, she hits plot points too clumsily, and her love-sickness is unconvincing). The story is a doozy, though, and small to boot.
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Your Sister's Sister is a surprisingly enjoyable small film that has a likable set of characters and a simple story that is more than enough. Sometimes I'll just be looking for a movie that I don't have to invest to much into, this movie is just that. It's accessible, funny and modest. It might not be remembered by many but it took me by surprise and put a smile on my face. The only thing keeping Your Sister's Sister from standing out like movies like The Descendants or Sideways is its obvious and familiar plot.
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100 Movies June Challenge #29.
Largely improvised three character piece about a guy who's still trying to get over his brothers death a year ago. His best friend (Blunt) offers the use of her family house on an island off the Seattle coast for some quiet time, but when he gets there he discovers Blunt's sister (DeWitt), who's also seeking refuge from a bad breakup. As the characters lives intertwine, they also grow more complicated.
From the king and queen of mumblecore - Lynn Shelton and Mark Duplass, comes this wonderfully sweet character piece that is really good. A definite case of substance over style. The characters feel so real and human -
The acting is great in this film, but as in another Lynn Shelton film ("Humpday") I felt the story threw on more diversity and quirks than were necessary. Ultimately, they turned a personal story about two sisters and the man who inadvertently comes between them into something a little too hard to believe.
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What happens when you take a mumblecore movie, give it a bigger budget, increase production values and hire trained actors? In this case an average "boutique" Hollywood drama that I wanted to turn off pretty much from the start.
I know a lot of people are crazy for Emily Blunt but I don't think I've ever liked her in anything and in this she excels herself by putting on an inexplicable American/Canadian/I don't know what awful accent for no apparent reason (there's some exposition that explains her being British.)
A major part of the mumbling working in a mumblecore movie is the low-fi aesthetic, if you move that to a glossy looking (yet shot with no eye for mise-en-scene) picture…
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Sparse, funny, thoughtful evolution of mumblecore. Mark Duplass is the centerpiece of this little gem.
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¨What ever you think is helping you; I have a responsibility as your friend to tell you that it's not.¨
Your Sister`s Sister is Lynn Shelton`s follow up to Humpday, which happens to also star Mark Duplass. Shelton does a really good job with this small independent movie by making everything flow so naturally. The film is basically an improvised character study between three people dealing with different situations in a cabin on a beautiful location, and the script which was also written by Shelton was really clever. I can`t say how much credit Shelton should receive since most of the conversations taking place in the cabin happened to be improvised and spontaneous, but the general idea and twists in…
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I really liked this film and it went in a bit of different direction than what I thought it would. Expect more drama than comedy but there are some great moments. I usually dislike montages as they are used in place of actual conversation and character/relationship development but at times it is necessary and is done right, as is the case here. Mark Duplass has been a busy boy lately writing, directing and starring in numerous pictures. Emily Blunt too has been in a wide variety of films as of late as well which is great as I enjoy them both.