The Banger Sisters (2002)
Directed by Bob Dolman
Written by Bob Dolman
Starring Susan Sarandon, Goldie Hawn, Geoffrey Rush, Erika Christensen
Release Date September 20th, 2002
Published September 19th, 2002
Well, I can tell you I was not looking forward to this movie. I despise the acting of Goldie Hawn and have hated every movie she's ever been in, especially Goldie's most recent work, The First Wives Club, The Out Of Towners, and, the most dreadful of them all, Town & Country. So, imagine my surprise when The Banger Sisters turned out to be a very funny and sweet movie, which succeeds because Goldie Hawn is fantastic.
Hawn plays legendary rock groupie-turned-bartender Suzette. Fired from her job at LA's Whiskey A Go Go, Suzette decides to pay a visit to her old friend Vinny (Susan Sarandon), who together were dubbed The Banger Sisters. They were legendary groupies whose conquests included Jim Morrison, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Page and a couple of roadies.
Vinny has changed a lot since she last saw Suzette some 20 years earlier. Vinny is now Lavinia, an overbearing housewife and mother of two, whose husband has a future in politics. On her way to see Lavinia, Suzette meets Harry (Geoffrey Rush), a failed screenwriter on his way to Phoenix to kill his father. Harry is a hypochondriac with a desperate need for order, which, of course, Suzette completely disrupts. Once in Phoenix, Suzette decides that she doesn't want to mess up Lavinia's perfect life, until a chance encounter with Lavinia's daughter Hannah (Erika Christenson) changes her mind. Once they are reunited, Suzette begins to push Lavinia back towards her past life, and, as the memories come back, the perfect façade crumbles.
The Banger Sisters has many problems. The narrative is shoved along a little too quickly and some of the gags are barely sitcom level. However both Sarandon and Hawn are such pros that they elevate even the worst material to at least elicit a chuckle. Hawn is especially good as the free spirit who, for once, isn't a ditz. Hawn delivers a very funny and bawdy, yet sweet, performance.
Some have compared Hawn's groupie character in The Banger Sisters to her daughter's groupie performance in Almost Famous. It is a fair comparison, though Hawn's performance isn't the Oscar-caliber performance that Hudson's was. I would say that this could be a great extension of that same character.
The biggest problem with this film is its ending. Throughout the film, we are treated to some raunchy antics and regaled with stories of groupie debauchery, only at the end to be given an almost Disney-like happy ending which is very disappointing. Still, The Banger Sisters provides enough solid laughs for me to recommend it, though you might consider walking out before the last 10 minutes.
