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Here's a lighthearted romp that gleefully thumbs its nose at today's youth-oriented comedies -- and, in the process, supplies two mature, Oscar-winning actresses with delightfully playful roles. Goldie Hawn portrays Suzette, a bubbly, middle-aged barmaid whose sole claim to fame is her checkered "career" as a 1960s rock groupie. After being fired, she goes on a road trip to find her former partner, Lavinia (Susan Sarandon), now a staid suburban mother with two rebellious teenage daughters (Erika Christensen and Eva Amurri). Director Bob Dolman deftly integrates plot and character, gradually drawing detailed and not altogether flattering portraits of the two women, who are shown to have taken different life paths after swinging through the '60s and '70s together. Hawn's Suzette seems to regret never having had a family of her own, even as Sarandon regrets surrendering her independence and losing her joie de vivre. Rekindling the friendship results in some tempestuous moments, but under Dolman's direction the mood never gets too heavy, and various minor crises are resolved without undue angst. Sarandon, with the more demanding part, delivers a marginally better performance than her costar, but they're both excellent, as is Geoffrey Rush, playing a chronically depressed screenwriter Suzette picks up en route to Lavinia's home. Charming and funny without being saccharine or condescending, The Banger Sisters is sure to revive pleasant, long-dormant memories in its older viewers while beguiling younger ones. Dolman supplies a commentary for the DVD, which also includes an HBO "First Look" special and a blooper reel. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

For some folks, the 1960s never really ended, and one woman still cheerfully stuck in the Summer of Love discovers her one-time best friend has left that decade as far behind as humanly possible in this comedy. In the late '60s and early '70s, Suzette (Goldie Hawn) and Vinnie (Susan Sarandon) were two of Southern California's most celebrated groupies. Affectionately nicknamed "The Banger Sisters" by Frank Zappa, best friends Suzette and Vinnie partied hearty with practically every rock star of the era who mattered, and kept a collection of Polaroid snapshots documenting their randy exploits. In 2001, Suzette is still her free-spirited self, and after losing her job as a barmaid at an L.A. rock club, she decides to look up Vinnie, whom she hasn't seen for 20 years. Suzette hits the road for Phoenix, AZ, to pay Vinnie a surprise visit, and en route picks up Harry (Geoffrey Rush), a novelist with writer's block who can't drive and hasn't had sex for a decade. Upon her arrival, Suzette discovers Vinnie isn't quite the same person who used to chase any man with long hair and an electric guitar. Now going by her given name of Lavinia, she's a straight laced social worker with a lawyer for a husband, Raymond (Robin Thomas), and two teenage daughters, Hannah (Erika Christensen) and Ginger (Eva Amurri), none of whom know a thing about her wild and crazy past, and have a pretty hard time imagining Lavinia even attending a rock concert. Eva Amurri comes by her role as Susan Sarandon's daughter naturally enough -- Amurri is Sarandon's daughter in real life. Mark Deming

Chicago Sun-Times

Hawn and Sarandon hit the ground running, and are so funny and goofy that they distract and delight us. Roger Ebert

Product Details

• UPC: 024543065739
• Source: 20TH CENTURY FOX
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1), Cinemascope (2.35:1)
• Presentation: Pan & Scan, Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français, Español
• Subtitles: English, Español
• Time: 1:38:00
• Sales Rank: 20,666

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Banger Sisters & Where Heart Is
• Thirteen / the Banger Sisters
• Thirteen / Banger Sisters
• In Her Shoes / the Banger Sisters

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