Your Sister's Sister

I really enjoyed this movie. I've never written a review before, but had to for this one. Filmed in 12 days? Unbelievably well done. The interaction of the three main characters was s-o...r-e-a-l. Emily Blunt (love her accent), Rosemarie Dewitt and Mark Duplass effortlessly became three characters who could be anyone you know in your own town. The chemistry of their different relationships with each other was fresh and flawless, especially as they evolved. The comedic moments were well delivered, and the pulling-at-the-heartstrings moments, very real. The rustic cottage and waterfront location in Seattle where most of the movie took place was just beautiful. From Filming to Sound, my hat is off to Lynn Shelton the Writer and Director, and the entire cast and crew. I will enjoy watching this again. Thank you!

Smart film. Smart dialog. Smart characters. No stereotypes. Not a cliché-driven romantic comedy, which obviously put off some of those who reacted negatively.

From start to finish, the roles and situations develop in unpredictable ways that never seem false. There must have been a lot of improvisation go into the script, because the conversations never sound false, and the characters all act and react in ways that could not be more natural.

It is funny without being silly, and it is sad at times in ways that measure the depth of the relationships. Great stuff!

This film is about a man who gets invited to a country house by his best friend, where he sleeps with his best friend's sister after a drunken night.

"Your Sister's Sister" is close to a single location film with a minimal number of characters. Most of the film takes place in a house with only three people. For a film like this to be good, either the characters have to be interesting, or the plot has to be emotionally intense. "Your Sister's Sister" is unfortunately neither. The plot lacks tension or emotional climax. It is just too plain to sustain attention or interest. Mark Duplass portrays an unlikable loser, and yet he gets all the adoration from the two sisters which is rather unbelievable. Rosemarie DeWitt plays a selfish woman, and she is not likable either. Emily Blunt's character is the only interesting character, but she is not enough to save the uninteresting plot or characters. It is unfortunate that "Your Sister's Sister" is an underwhelming drama, as it could have been a lot more than it currently is.

"Your Sister's Sister" is an indie romantic dramedy. One that tries to say so much with so little; "little" in terms of story and setting. It's a dialogue driven film about relationships. Jack (Mark Duplass) is depressed, mourning the loss of his brother. His friend Iris (Emily Blunt) sends him up to her father's cottage for some alone time and beautiful scenery.

Beautiful scenery there was plenty of; but not so much alone time. Unbeknownst to either of them, Iris's sister, Hannah (Rosemary Dewitt), was also retreating to their father's cottage for some alone time in the wake of an upsetting break-up. Two lonely people and an entire bottle of tequila lead to one inevitable place. In the morning, Iris arrives.

Duplass is fairly adept at comedy so he was able to navigate his way around two attractive sisters with a few well-earned laughs. There are more laughs during the description of Iris's boyfriends (each wears skinny jeans, skinnier than the next). As mentioned, this is a dialogue driven film which makes it or breaks it. For the most part it does the job and effectively introduces us to the three characters, but the common complaint that the dialogue is pretentious is certainly accurate.

The characters are real enough, if not a bit extreme in their ways, that likability isn't a huge factor. Although, Emily Blunt's character does get preachy when things don't go her way. She, and the audience, are thrown for a loop when a twist is introduced half-way through the film. At first I was relieved that the film was going to be about something other than just the relationships of these three people.

But ultimately "Your Sister's Sister" is just about the sister's relationship and their relationship with Jack. An ambiguous ending can certainly be welcome and interesting, but if you don't quite care enough about the relationships to begin with then the ending arrives just a beat too early.

Lynn Shelton's 'Your Sister's Sister' opened the 2012 Glasgow Film Festival and received a near-rapturous response. This is a keenly observed tale of individuals as complex and frail as you, me and everyone we know...

Iris commemorates the passing of her partner Tom at a gathering of Tom's friends, where Jack, her best friend, offers up a less than flattering eulogy. Jack, coincidentally Tom's sibling, is packed off to a remote island lodge to get his head together, where he encounters Iris's sister, Hannah. Complications ensue - by the bucket-load.

Shelton took time to explain her process in the Q&A at the Glasgow Film Theatre screening. The cast improvised to a certain extent, but spent a vast amount of time creating back-stories for their characters. That preparation pays off in naturalistic exchanges, interruptions and repairs, gestures and looks that remonstrate, encourage or deter in a convincingly authentic manner. The film is very, very funny, and then genuinely touching and fraught. Throw in an ending you will either love (like me) or loathe, and you have a mature, entertaining film whose execution and polish defies the 12-day shooting period.

Wonderful performances from Emily Blunt, Rosemarie DeWitt and Mark Duplass as the conflicted trio. Blunt gets to explore more range here than My Summer of Love or anything else on her CV, and shows a growing maturity. The film is involving from the very first frame and holds your attention throughout. Shelton has found a refreshing formula. Bigger budgets and less challenging schedules may follow, but one hopes the stringent process remains.