Rated R - Running Time: 1:37 - Released 9/20/02
THE BANGER SISTERS
Rated R - Running Time: 1:37 - Released 9/20/02
The directing debut of screenwriter Bob Dolman (Willow),
The Banger Sisters is aimed directly at members of the
aging baby boomer generation (i.e., me), who remember Goldie Hawn
from Laugh-In (not The Out-Of-Towners)
and Susan Sarandon from The Rocky Horror Picture Show (not
Dead Man Walking). As such, it will probably not do much
at the box office, but that's not because it's not a good movie.
Hawn and Sarandon fit easily into their roles as a pair of ex-groupies
from the age of Morrison and Zappa who took radically different
paths later in life. To some, this will be a simple comedy about
former hippies and the reversal of the generation gap, but these
two understand their parts so well they raise it to a higher level
than even director Dolman may have expected. Geoffrey Rush, meanwhile,
playing a writer with serious personal issues whose life is changed
by the two women, adds a nice counterpoint to the story.
In a way, Hawn is playing an older version of the character
essayed two years ago in Almost
Famous by her daughter, Kate Hudson (who, incidentally,
can now be seen one theater over in The
Four Feathers). A 50-something Hollywood bartender who
was a "professional" groupie during the late '60s and
early '70s, Suzette has not lost her passion for peace, love,
and music, but her carefree work ethic gets her fired, so she
decides to set out for Phoenix to look for her former best friend
and fellow "banger sister," Vinnie (Sarandon). En route,
she meets Harry Plummer (Rush), an obsessive/compulsive writer
who is traveling cross-country to shoot his father, whom he blames
for his failed career (since his dad never had any faith in him).
He agrees to pay for gas if she'll give him a ride, so an odd-couple
alliance is born.
When Suzette arrives at Vinnie's palatial suburban home, she
discovers that her old pal has become a full-fledged member of
The Establishment, with a lawyer/politician husband (Robin Thomas),
two teen daughters (Erika Christensen, Eva Amurri), and a closet
full of beige business suits. Not surprisingly, Vinnie (who now
goes by "Lavinia") is not particularly happy to see
Suzette, who holds secrets that would shatter her pillar-of-the-community
image. But Suzette soon discovers things are not as rosy as they
appear in Lavinia's family, and their bemused attitude toward
her checkered past causes Lavinia to long for the good old days.
Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Harry is pounding away at the typewriter,
having found inspiration in Suzette's charms.
I mentioned Almost Famous because Suzette, like Penny Lane, is really the central character; her arrival, like a meteor crashing into the lives of both Harry and Lavinia, serves as the catalyst for self-examination. In fact, she seems to charm everyone she meets, including Lavinia's kids, the hotel clerk, and me. Hawn never stops surprising me at how truly talented she is; after being hired as a giggly, bikini-clad go-go dancer on Laugh-In, she went on to become a prominent activist for women's issues and a very successful producer, but besides all that, she's just a good actor, with an uncanny ability to own the words her character speaks. She is also, may I say, still quite sexy at age 57. The talents of Sarandon and Rush add to the enjoyable nature of this production, and Christensen (who can be seen two theaters over in Swimfan) and Amurri (who actually is Sarandon's daughter) are no less engaging. I also enjoyed soundtrack selections by The Doors, Talking Heads, and even Steppenwolf. But be warned; this movie contains relaxed attitudes toward teen sex and recreational drug use—they're not encouraged, but simply seen as a part of life, which they are. So if you're offended by this, beware. I don't want you to freak out, man. ****
