Your Sister's Sister

Name: Your Sister's Sister
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: June 15, 2012
Duration: 90 min
Rating: 72
Cast: Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass, Mike Birbiglia, Rosemarie DeWitt

2012

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 57 Ratings

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6.4

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6.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 57 Ratings

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Your Sister's Sister

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Movie Details & Credits

IFC Films | Release Date: June 15, 2012 | R

Starring: Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass, Mike Birbiglia, Rosemarie DeWitt

Summary: Your Sister's Sister is a new comedy about romance, grief and sibling rivalry. A year after his brother Tom's death, Jack is still struggling emotionally. When he makes a scene at a memorial party, Tom's best friend Iris offers up her family cabin on an island in the Pacific Northwest so Jack can seek catharsis in solitude. Once there,Your Sister's Sister is a new comedy about romance, grief and sibling rivalry. A year after his brother Tom's death, Jack is still struggling emotionally. When he makes a scene at a memorial party, Tom's best friend Iris offers up her family cabin on an island in the Pacific Northwest so Jack can seek catharsis in solitude. Once there, however, he runs into Iris' sister Hannah who is reeling from the abrupt end of a seven-year relationship and finds solace in Tom's unexpected presence. A blurry evening of drinking concludes with an awkward sexual incident, made worse by Iris' sudden presence at the cabin the next morning. A twisted tale of ever-complicated relationships is set in motion with raw, hilarious and emotional performances from the all-star cast. (IFC Films)… Expand

Director: Lynn Shelton

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: R

Runtime: 90 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Claudia Puig

Jun 28, 2012

So many movies try to capture human relationships and fail miserably. A few come close. Your Sister's Sister nails it with grace, humor and winning charm. Read full review

Calvin Wilson

Jun 29, 2012

This is a smart, moving film that's also very, very funny. Read full review

Mary Pols

Jun 14, 2012

There is a looseness to the dialogue that suits the mood of the story-each character gets his or her own bombshell (or two) to digest and has to figure out how to cope with it. Read full review

Ann Hornaday

Jun 14, 2012

Very little is simple in Your Sister's Sister -- not the emotions, the naturalistic tone or the unstudied, easygoing performances. But the film's pleasures are. Read full review

Anthony Lane

Jun 22, 2012

Only at the end do we sense Shelton forcing her hand, and arranging, rather too neatly, for the rebalancing and desaddening of all concerned. [25 June 2012, p.85]

John DeFore

Apr 4, 2012

Following up "Humpday" with another low-rent charmer, Lynn Shelton moves from two- to three-character dynamics. Read full review

Rex Reed

Jun 13, 2012

This three-hander has an honesty and a momentum that I found grudgingly rewarding. Read full review

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User Reviews

MediaboyMusings

Jun 15, 2012

"Lynn Shelton"...get used to hearing the name of the Seattle-based writer/director/producer/actor, because if her newest work is any indication, she's got a very bright filmmaking career ahead of her. Her fourth film and the follow-up to 2009's acclaimed Humpday, Your Sister's Sister is one"Lynn Shelton"...get used to hearing the name of the Seattle-based writer/director/producer/actor, because if her newest work is any indication, she's got a very bright filmmaking career ahead of her. Her fourth film and the follow-up to 2009's acclaimed Humpday, Your Sister's Sister is one of the smartest, most engaging relationship dramas (laced with charming humour) I've ever seen. Yes, it's that good.

The story doesn't exactly jump off the page, perhaps reading as the type of standard chick flick material that audiences have seen over and over again, with a subdued tone and pace that some viewers might find challenging. The magic in the film lies with the honesty and naturalism that Shelton derives from her characters and their interplay, delivered by equally outstanding performances from the three leads who improvised about 75% of their words. Emily Blunt plays Iris, the best friend of Jack (played by Mark Duplass) and the former girlfriend of Jack's brother, who died roughly a year before the movie begins. Jack, who's unemployed, just can't seem to get out of his mourning funk, so Iris encourages him (practically forces him, actually) to spend some time at her father's cabin on an island in Puget Sound. Jack takes her up on the offer and, upon arriving at the remote cabin, finds a houseguest already there. That would be Hannah, Iris' sister (played by Rosemary DeWitt), who is also seeking a little solitude to clear her head after just ending a seven year lesbian relationship. Mix a bottle of tequila with some bad judgement and the pair end up having awkward sex. The following day, Iris unexpectedly shows up, thus setting in motion the complex triangular dynamic that forms the core of the film.

Blunt, DeWitt, and Duplass have an immediate, winning chemistry with each other and they'd better. Aside from its first fifteen or so minutes, the film almost exclusively features just the three actors on screen and most of that time is spent within the four cabin walls, which gives the film a very intimate theatrical feel. DeWitt and Blunt, in particular, find a familiarity and comfort with one another that successfully sells us on their sisterhood, despite the curious fact that Iris has an English accent and Hannah an American one. I loved that Shelton holds off on revealing the reason for the accent discrepancy until well into the film, as the puzzling detail just kind of hangs there in an intriguing and only mildly nagging way. It might seem like an odd creative choice on Shelton's part, but it actually stems from the fact that Rachel Weisz, a Brit, was originally supposed to play Hannah before pulling out at the last minute. DeWitt, usually one of the best things in anything I've ever seen her in (especially her work on Showtime's United States Of Tara), deserves even more credit for her performance, considering the lack of preparation she had before jumping into the movie's lean twelve day shooting schedule. Along with Shelton's work, another major revelation taken from the film is Duplass, who I'd never heard of. He proves more than capable of handling the movie's demanding dramatic material, while also demonstrating a real flair for its comedic requirements via his goofy charm. And it turns out that like his director, Duplass also writes, directs, and produces films with his brother, Jay. Their latest movie, Jeff, Who Lives At Home, premiered at last year's TIFF.

The film's soundtrack deserves special mention. Composed by Vince Smith (who handled all aspects of sound recording and design on this production), it meshes nicely with Shelton's visuals featuring the scenic Pacific Northwest, and his score plays a key role during an extended montage sequence at the end of the movie that has next to no dialogue. The sequence is a bit of a gamble on Shelton's part, but it's nicely put together and doesn't sap the film's momentum as the story comes to its conclusion.

Hopefully, a movie this quiet and clever can find an audience amidst the clatter of the studio tentpole offerings. Those who do discover it will be treated to a film that wasn't just the best thing I saw at last year's Toronto film festival, but the best film I saw all year.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

wiggipop

Jan 3, 2014

a film where three excellent actors get to shine, rosemary dewitt is simply radiant as an unexpected guest with a secret agenda. in the end, the writing does let this down as things resolve fairly neatly. but, it is worth it for the powerful performances.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MarcDoyle

Jun 24, 2012

Wonderful acting performances throughout, and I love the setting and the music from Band of Horses. What I"m not a big fan of it this type of ending. Sure, it doesn't matter to this story what happens when the credits role. But it feels a little cheap to me. I've now seen this 3 or 4Wonderful acting performances throughout, and I love the setting and the music from Band of Horses. What I"m not a big fan of it this type of ending. Sure, it doesn't matter to this story what happens when the credits role. But it feels a little cheap to me. I've now seen this 3 or 4 times in dramas releases over the last year. I think the filmmakers are taking the easy way out by doing it.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

BKM

May 22, 2013

A smart, well acted and surprisingly moving study of the knotty relationships between siblings, friends and lovers. Duplass, Blunt and DeWitt give the film an enormous amount of charm and heart, but I wish the ending had stayed a bit truer to the emotionally stunted nature of the charactersA smart, well acted and surprisingly moving study of the knotty relationships between siblings, friends and lovers. Duplass, Blunt and DeWitt give the film an enormous amount of charm and heart, but I wish the ending had stayed a bit truer to the emotionally stunted nature of the characters instead of offering up a not entirely convincing picture of hope and happiness.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JamesL

Jul 2, 2012

Well, here is another movie that really is about nothing, says nothings and did nothing for me. Another movie that had about 15 minutes of shelf life but was expanded to 90 minutes and delivered nothing. Nothing is the word by which I will remember and recall this film. There is nothing toWell, here is another movie that really is about nothing, says nothings and did nothing for me. Another movie that had about 15 minutes of shelf life but was expanded to 90 minutes and delivered nothing. Nothing is the word by which I will remember and recall this film. There is nothing to it. I cannot even think of much to say because there is nothing memorable about it. I never knew she cared about him or he cared about her or her sister had any reason to tell her sister anything. The speech by the male character expressing his emotions at the end was so typical of this bland film.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

enilorac

Sep 30, 2012

Do not go to this movie if you are tired, or you will truly fall asleep. Stupid, ridiculous and seriously, if they didn't use the "f" word, the script would probably be two pages! Love Emily Blunt and she did the best she could considering the boring and stupid story line. Lovely scenery.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

GreatMartin

Jul 2, 2012

I love coming across a gem of a movie unexpectedly and

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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