Film Reviews

Banger Sisters

• Rating:
• Director: Bob Dolman.
• Starring: Goldie Hawn, Susan Sarandon, Geoffrey Rush, Erika Christensen, Robin Thomas, Eva Amurri.
• Details: US / 97 minutes / (15PG).

A cursory look at plot matters for The Banger Sisters should tell you all you need to know to avoid this movie. Putting fresh definition to term 'mutton dressed as lamb', Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon play a couple of middle-aged former groupies, who after being separated for two decades, renew their friendship and remember the good times. Sounds bad, doesn't it? Well, the reality of The Banger Sisters is much, much worse. Hawn plays Suzette, who made up one half of the legendary rock groupies, The Banger Sisters. While her former partner in crime, Vinnie (Sarandon) has moved to Phoenix, traded in her promiscuous ways for the life of a well-to-do housewife and (bad) mother, Suzette is still shagging around like there's no tomorrow. After she loses her job, Suzette decides to seek out her former best pal. Picking up a neurotic writer (Geoffrey Rush on autopilot) along the way, Suzette gets on the open road, dreaming of a happy reconciliation. Hawn and Sarandon are both quality performers, but even their best efforts can't save this shapeless, sixties baiting mess. The Banger Sisters should have been a character-driven piece, a film about change and reflection. Unfortunately, all writer director Bob Dolman seems interested in is a collected of stereotypical, hackneyed scenarios, with a few lame gags thrown in for good measure. Still, what do you expect from the man who wrote Far and Away? Avoid it.

Review by Garreth Murphy