THE BANGER SISTERS (R) ***

Directed by Bob Dolman. 97 minutes.

Starring Goldie Hawn, Susan Sarandon, Geoffrey Rush, Erika Christensen. Released by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

If Penny Lane (Kate Hudson’s character in Almost Famous) never grew out of her groupie phase and ended up alone with a meaningless life then she might be Suzette (played by, ironically, Hudson’s mother, Goldie Hawn). Working at a bar on the Sunset strip and still bragging about the time when “Jim Morrison passed out in a bathroom with me underneath him,” Suzette suffers from a sort of Peter Pan syndrome. What is left of her life is lost when, after drinking on the job and calling her boss names that I will not repeat here, she is fired from her gig as bartender. In need of money, Suzette ponders on who to hit up and comes up with only one person- Vinnie (now Livinia, played by Susan Sarandon), her old chum from the glory days of the 60s when the two of them were groupies, nicknamed the “Banger Sisters” because of their habit of sleeping with “rock stars and, occasionally, roadies.” On the way to Phoenix where Livinia now lives with her family, Suzette picks up Harry Plumber (Geoffrey Rush), a failed screenwriter who vows to return to his hometown of Phoenix to commit a murder. Upon arriving, Suzette finds that her old friend leads a completely opposite life from the one they once lived. Livinia is a community figure, has a wealthy lawyer husband, two spoiled kids, a gigantic house, etc. Some of the most interesting, if not always believable parts, of the film follow as Livinia’s family discovers things that they never knew about her, by way of Suzette.

Despite a somewhat flimsy plotline, some sketchy character arcs and transitions, and an ending scene that amps up the emotional clichés a bit too much, The Banger Sisters is a genuinely likeable odd couple comedy, mostly because of the capable performances of the film’s actors, especially Goldie Hawn. As Suzette, Hawn is quite humorous, complete with beliefs that prove her refusal to grow up and potty mouth, but also shows some depth as a woman who wasn’t willing to face the pragmatic years that followed the idealistic 60s where she flourished. Her inability to find meaning in her life or form meaningful relationships with others are well-created by Hawn, providing one of her better roles in recent years. Sarandon gives a good performance as Livinia as well, though I did not believe all of the plot developments surrounding her character or the rapidity of her change either, though this seems to be a problem in the story department rather than her performance. Geoffrey Rush, one of the more interesting actors these days, is also solid as the depressed Harry, who finds his muse in Suzette, giving him the ability to start writing again. Erika Christensen, Eva Amurri, and Robin Thomas are good as Livinia’s two daughters and husband, respectively, though their roles are not quite as fleshed out as the three leads.

Plotwise, The Banger Sisters is simple, perhaps a bit too simple and not thought out as much as possibly needed. Would Suzette really seek out Livinia after twenty years simply because she lost her job? Just because she is a “free spirit” does not mean that the writers are authorized to let her do whatever she wants. Another problem in the film is Livinia’s transition from the uptight character that she is when we first meet her to the woman who wants to stop dodging her past and live a little. It seems that a mere conversation with her family about how she once went to rock concerts and danced leads her to reverting to her old ways as “Vinnie.” These problems aside, the film makes up for any inconsistencies with the aforementioned strong performances and mostly solid script. The dialogue is, for the most part, humorous and clever, especially for Suzette’s character, while a certain sadness in the writing is maintained as the film’s characters reflect on their idealistic youths of the 1960s, which they have either denied ever happened (Livinia), realized their former naiveté (Harry), or not been able to put past them (Suzette). While it is quite easy to laugh at these people for all their quirkiness and erratic behavior, it is equally as easy to feel empathy for them and their shattered dreams, or lack of.

As mentioned before, one of the film’s final scenes could have used some rethinking. It involves the graduation of Hannah (Christensen), Livinia’s oldest daughter, who has been neck to neck with her mother during the film concerning issues of irresponsible behavior. Being the valedictorian of her graduating class, she must make a speech to, as she sarcastically puts it (and I paraphrase), “tell her classmates to go out into the future and make something of themselves.” Her speech, of course, will encompass what she has learned from her mother about “being yourself” and having your own identity, etc. The speech itself is a bit “said and done” and the response that we get from the audience is a bit dramatic (how many of these standing ovation scenes do we need?). Nevertheless, The Banger Sisters does not make the mistake of “fixing” its characters by film’s end, leaving them with the possibility for change and improvement in their futures, which is sort of a relief. Most current films would make the mistake of solving all their characters problems, leaving the undesired sitcom effect. Though far from flawless, The Banger Sisters is an entertaining character comedy that is rich in performance and clever in word, which I will take over the numerous plot-driven Hollywood films that we are accustomed to seeing on a weekly basis.