The Banger Sisters
While some people haven't even started school yet, I, on the other hand, have started the process of test-taking with 3 midterms in 3 days. With the first one, math, down today, I'm takin the night off so that tomorrow will be full of studying for two on Thursday.

Now some people have wondered, why are the summer movie rankings still in the left-hand column? It's almost the end of September! Well, there's a good reason for it. I haven't watched a movie this month to make a new list. And I'm lazy. I can't spare the ten seconds it would take to wipe it away from the code. Plus, the quality of the movies are low. Take for example, Swimfan. Or Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever. Or Stealing Harvard. Sure, there are good movies, but they're independent films or only playing in the city. Igby Goes Down. Apollo 13 in IMAX. Read My Lips. Plus, it's not fun watching movies in the shoeboxes known as Berkeley theatres. And I still want to see One Hour Photo, but let's just say I'm waiting for a grace period to pass.

So with great fanfare, the first movie I saw in three weeks was The Banger Sisters. Yes, an unorthodox choice, but a movie that my good friend Jeanette really, really, really, really wanted to go see. But as I was walking out listening to the sporadic applause, mostly by Kyle, I was pleasantly surprised.

For those not in the know, Goldie Hawn plays Suzette, a groupie who's still living in the past but must face reality when she's fired from her bartender job at the club she partied in many years before. But when she looks back at her past for what seemingly is for one last time, she decides to visit her fellow "sister" LaVinia, played by Susan Sarandon. She has left her past and moved on to marry an attorney and have kids. Needless to say, she's shocked to see her. Along the way, Suzette picks up failed Hollywood writer Harry, played by Geoffrey Rush. He's a wound-up guy who's on his way to shoot his father. Soon, it's pretty evident that everything Suzette touches changes completely. Harry thinks he's found his muse and starts writing again. LaVinia reflects on her life and craves to go back to the way it was, which she accomplishes. Her family has quibbles with this, but soon they adjust and everyone ends up predictably happy.

The comedy is funny. There were a lot of laughs to be had in the film. It's the infusion of drama that troubled me. The director wants us to feel sorry one minute and laugh at the next. The story was a lot deeper than the light-hearted commercials would suggest. As a result, the supporting cast isn't really needed. A comedic movie with just the two stars would have been just as good. Their on-screen chemistry is great. But for example, the family doesn't seem to have much to do. Lavinia's husband seems to be just a man of reactions: happy, confused, accepting, etc. Erika Christensen seems to play her character from Traffic. Smart student plagued by sex and drugs who manages to fix everything and give a heartwarming speech at the end. So remember, "Go! Be true!" 3 stars