Due amiche esplosive

I didn't expect the movie to be this good, to be quite honest, but it definitely impressed me. Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon make a good team as Suzette and Lavinia. Suzette and Lavinia were known as the "Banger Sisters" when they were teenagers/early twenties (they were groupies). Suzette, who was just fired from her job as a bartender at the beginning of the movie, is still trying to live the groupie life while Lavinia moved to Arizona and has gone on to marry a rich man and have 2 kids. She is basically the "perfect housewife". Suzette decides to visit Lavinia after she's fired and on the way meets a bitter, obsessive-compulsive man named Harry (Geoffrey Rush...I did a double take the second time I saw this movie...after I saw Pirates of the Caribbean...I couldn't believe it was the same man! He had gone from one extreme to the other! In POTC he was a dirty, rotting, crude pirate while in the Banger Sisters he was this immaculate, obsessively clean, almost virginal man!). Well the initial visit with Suzette and Lavinia doesn't go over too well but Lavinia comes back the next day to apologize to Suzette (Lavinia was a tad rude the day before). The movie's about the two women revisiting their past and rekindling their friendship. I like the storyline, it wasn't an overdone one. It wasn't your typical chick flick. I enjoyed it more than I expected to. 8/10.

There is a good deal of decent dialogue in this movie, and Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon know how to make the most of it. As a fan of old movies, I could never fault a script for being "formulaic." Let's face it, if you've seen a thousand movies, you've seen it all. As long as the writer gets it right, a movie can, at the very least, be admired. In this case, it can be appreciated. This movie is fun, it doesn't take itself too seriously, and there are some important messages: remember the importance of being supremely sure of yourself, of having a best friend, and of hearing Led Zeppelin in concert. It shouldn't be relegated to the category "chick flick." It is about a person who seems to drift aimlessly through life, and winds up portraying someone who makes a positive impact on many peoples' lives. Watching Goldie's/Suzette's face as she and Susan/Vinnie start to dance for the first time in 20 years also made me remember something important: when women friends dance together, it's different than men and women dancing. They enter into a partnership that says, for the next few minutes, we will do something cool together, and, sometimes, that's an important thing to do.

I wasn't expecting much from this movie, but ended up enjoying it! Susan Sarandon plays a character like a lot of mothers. She's been so busy bringing up a family, that she forgets who she is and what she stands for and Suzette, Goldie Hawn brings her "back". This movie reminds you to be true to yourself. Remember who you were at 18? Well, some of that teenager, some of her beliefs and dreams are still inside you. And I love how neurotic the 16 year old daughter is --"Ginger, open your throat." She has a little phlegm problem. This movie has some very real moments. I think that most women could appreciate it!

Finally, not another unrealistic or action packed movie, but rather a movie that captures more of the women's attention. Of course, any male could probably enjoy this film. Although, some men are probably thinking, `Where is the baseball in this movie?' Or `Can't wait for the game.'

`The Banger Sisters' is a film about two close friends who shared a wild and reckless past. As they grew up, one tried to change completely and live a so-called `normal' lifestyle with two kids and a wealthy husband; the other one, unashamed of her past, is still wild. The one who changed so much, Lavina or Vinnie (Susan Sarandon), takes one look at Suzette (Goldie Hawn), for the first time in twenty years and doesn't want anything to do with her. With the help from Suzette, Lavina discovers her `old' self and makes some changes for the better.

The director Bob Dolman's most obvious intention is to pull off a movie that deals with a variety of real life issues ranging from relationships with friends and family to making changes and rediscovering the past. The director does an incredible job of making this movie realistic. First of all, he chose Susan Sarandon to play the part of the mother and house wife. Sarandon is a well known, well liked actress, who really helps bring this role to life. Also not to forget Goldie Hawn, now, who can really say they don't like Goldie? The director chose her to be the `wild' one. Goldie's petite body and sense of humor portrays this image perfectly. Also her 1960s wardrobe and tattoo on her arm prove she is no settled house wife. To help along with the whole `making changes' intention, the director throws in the `perfect' daughter, known as Hannah (Erika Christensen). Susan Sarandon's daughter is `Miss Valedictorian.' The director of the film allows Sarandon to come home to find that her daughter is no princess. Hannah's major performance in this film definitely brought about change in her `mother.'

`The Banger Sisters' is an excellent film. It brings in realistic situations and deals with them in its own way. This movie is recommended to anyone who likes comedies.

Suzette (Goldie Hawn) and Lavinia (Susan Sarandon) used to be groupies with the Doors, but they've since parted ways: Suzette still acts like a groupie, Lavinia lives a laid-back existence in the suburbs. That is, until Suzette decides to come visit Lavinia. Then, all bets are off. Big time.

If absolutely nothing else, "The Banger Sisters" shows that Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon still have the talent that they always had (of course, neither one ever lost talent). Geoffrey Rush has a great supporting role as uptight Harry Plummer, with some strange plans.

I gotta say, autumn 2002 put an interesting spin on chick flicks, with "The Banger Sisters", "Far from Heaven" and "The Hours".