The Sisters (2005 film)

The Sisters
Promotional movie poster
Directed byArthur Allan Seidelman
Screenplay byRichard Alfieri
Based onThe Sisters
play
by Richard Alfieri
StarringMaria Bello
Mary Stuart Masterson
Erika Christensen
Rip Torn
Elizabeth Banks
Eric McCormack
Chris O'Donnell
Steven Culp
Tony Goldwyn
Alessandro Nivola
CinematographyChuy Chavez
Edited byDrake Silliman
Music byThomas Morse
Distributed byArclight Films
Release dates
Running time
113 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$4,784 (Taiwan)[3]

The Sisters is a 2005 film starring Maria Bello, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Erika Christensen as the title characters; it also stars Alessandro Nivola, Rip Torn, Eric McCormack, Steven Culp, Tony Goldwyn and Chris O'Donnell. The film was written by Richard Alfieri (based on his own play)[2] and directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman.

The Sisters is inspired by Anton Chekhov's 1901 play Three Sisters. It tells the story of three sisters and a brother, their family dysfunctions, and the siblings dealing with their ups and downs after the death of their father.

Plot summary

Cast

Production

The film was shot on location in Eugene and Cottage Grove, Oregon.[4]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 30% based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 4.47/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Shallow, dull, and ineffectively updated for modern audiences, The Sisters takes Chekhov's classic source material and renders it dramatically inert."[5] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 40 out of 100, based on fourteen critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]

The Los Angeles Times called it a "pompous, overwrought and itchingly claustrophobic psychodrama", saying "nothing can save the actors from the painfully mannered dialogue and implausible relationships."[7] The New York Times said the film "ladles out almost two hours' worth of carping, backstabbing and egomania" which prompts the viewer to "quickly realize no one in this film is anyone you would want to spend two hours with" and "wonder why the heck they're spending so much time with one another."[2]

References

  1. ^ Limited Releases - Hard Time Picking Just One, an April 14, 2006 article from The Numbers
  2. ^ a b c 'The Sisters' Fuel a Family Feud Inspired by Chekov, an April 14, 2006 review from The New York Times
  3. ^ The Sisters International Box Office Results, from Box Office Mojo
  4. ^ "Filmed in Oregon 1908-2015" (PDF). Oregon Film Council. Oregon State Library. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  5. ^ "The Sisters (2006)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  6. ^ "The Sisters Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  7. ^ 'The Sisters', an April 2006 review from the Los Angeles Times