Terrible. We gave it 20 mins and then dispatched it to the briny deep. The Duplass guy was just fat and obnoxious, had zero screen personality/charisma, and, like the DeWitt character, couldn't articulate a thought or even make a simple declarative statement without dropping the F-bomb every other word. Maybe it's the infantile screenwriters who think people actually "converse" this way, or, more likely, it's just that the writers have no writing talent so they air drop the F-bomb to substitute for thought. In any event, don't waste your time. And avoid any future painful eliminations by this crowd (Emily Blunt excepted, who must be ashamed of herself for attaching her name to this mess).… Expand

Certainly one of the most charming and affecting films of the year, 'Your Sister's Sister' finds Lynn Shelton exploring the three-character dynamic with grace and heart. All of the performances are spot on and feel consistently intimate and engaging. The script is funny, while also touching the heart (in fact, it edges right up next to it and never leaves throughout the duration of the film) and the careful observations of dialogue and character are very insightful. It is quite subtle in the way that the film is scripted feels. It is as though, within the three leads, there is always an ongoing conversation between two of them, which is disrupted by the third in some way, leading to moments of awkwardness and revelation. Each character fills the role of the odd-man-out at one point, as they are flawed, realistic people that come off as such, probably due to the graceful direction and keen improvisational skills from the actors. By the way, I find it so cool that Lynn Shelton, realizing the surplus of improvisation used by her performers, decided to credit them, not only as part of the cast, but as 'creative collaborators'. My only major criticism is that the plot lags a little bit near the end, but the course that these three people are led on is fun to watch unfold, even when it stumbles. All-in-all, it's a very enjoyable, character-driven film that is equal parts funny and warm, resonating well enough after viewing.… Expand

The idea of this movie is very intriguing, but the execution was really bad. Much of the dialogue of this movie was obviously ad-lib, which can be great with the right kinds of actors, but these actors weren't that kind. Yes, the dialogue was 'every day authentic'', but that just means it was as banal as most every day conversations. Good writers write good dialogue for a reason. Lazy directors forgo good writers for vapid ad-lib dialogue. This kind of movie may excite some reviewers because it is 'different', but for the average audience member it just makes for a lousy movie.… Expand

Do not go to this movie if you are tired, or you will truly fall asleep. Stupid, ridiculous and seriously, if they didn't use the "f" word, the script would probably be two pages! Love Emily Blunt and she did the best she could considering the boring and stupid story line. Lovely scenery.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The ending's a bit too saccharine, but there's a great script and even better acting here, as Emily Blunt really gets to flex her muscles in this one and, in doing so, steals the movie.… Expand

Even though Your Sister's Sister is set mostly in the open air of a secluded area of a Puget Sound island, it feels a bit claustrophobic because of the very small cast. There are only three characters who perform 99% of the film's interactions and there are only so many combinations a screenplay can invent to pair two of them off at any given time. There are long, drawn out conversations which have an improvisational feeling about them and are enjoyable to sit back and watch. Audiences conditioned to expect quick cuts, brief sequences, and pointed dialogue may grow impatient with the extended length of scenes, but for those who relish real situations and characters who take more than a few minutes to develop will enjoy getting to know these people, quirks and all.

Jack (Mark Duplass) appears, just by looking at him, to be having a rough time. There are bags under his eyes, he has a few extra pounds, probably from too much booze, he is unemployed, and social conversations he attempts to contribute to have a way of ending awkwardly and uncomfortable for all in the room. His brother died a year ago and he still has no idea how to move on from that. His best friend happens to be his deceased brother's ex-girlfriend Iris (Emily Blunt). Perhaps this is Jack's way of hanging on to something his brother once had. Iris cares for Jack and after one of his completely inappropriate diatribes, she orders him to get on his old bike, peddle down to the Seattle ferry, and go spend a week alone in the woods at her father's cabin. Perhaps some solitude and introspection will kick him out of his funk.

The cabin is not empty though. Someone else with life problems decided to squirrel away there; this is Iris's sister, Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt). Jack and Hannah recognize a bit of themselves in each other, mainly the self loathing bits, and realize that first night together at the cabin that talking about your problems to a stranger over a bottle of tequila is oddly cathartic. Hannah just walked out of a very long-term relationship with her girlfriend and all of their long-term plans they had together. Both Jack and Hannah are searching for what they should do next in life, where to go, and how to change to get there; so maybe this is why they drunkenly end up in bed together.

The film sets itself up to go in many directions. It could have been self-destructive depression for Jack. It could have been a modern west coast version of Walden for lost souls. However, it chose to become a somewhat comedic love triangle. Iris shows up at the cabin early the next morning and Jack decides she does not need to know what happened last night with Hannah. Each of them maintains their own respective agendas and watching them emerge and conflict with one another is amusing and intriguing to wonder how it may play out. Jack is nervous about the truth being revealed, Iris has her own secrets, and Hannah may be trumping them all. This talk about secrets makes Your Sister's Sister sound devious and manipulative but it is not; somehow, the script keeps the atmosphere light and airy.

Writer/director Lynn Shelton has worked with Mark Duplass previously (Humpday) and the summer of 2012 appears to be his emergence to a wider indie public. He has three films in theaters simultaneously (Your Sister's Sister, Safety Not Guaranteed, People Like Us) and reminds me of Jessica Chastain from 2011 who came out of nowhere and seemed to be in a new release every single weekend. British actress Emily Blunt keeps her accent for this film and the plot noticeably includes a few sentences as to why that is. Her being British is not necessary to the film so waiting to see how they end up explaining away her accent causes a bit of an eye roll but it is not too distracting. Rosemarie DeWitt comes out the winner of the three. She has the benefit of playing the most well written character and she has the acting chops to pull it off. Jack is more the clumsy oaf while Iris is more the sounding board for his issues, but Hannah is in on both of their secrets and therefore benefits screen time wise.

Your Sister's Sister is much better than its recent cinematic cousin Safety Guaranteed and aims for more depth in its characters. The film lacks any particular punches which may have catapulted it into more profound waters; however, it is a worthwhile indie film to enjoy in an air conditioned theater on a hot day when the just the thought of another version of Spiderman will not do.… Expand

I love coming across a gem of a movie unexpectedly and

Well, here is another movie that really is about nothing, says nothings and did nothing for me. Another movie that had about 15 minutes of shelf life but was expanded to 90 minutes and delivered nothing. Nothing is the word by which I will remember and recall this film. There is nothing to it. I cannot even think of much to say because there is nothing memorable about it. I never knew she cared about him or he cared about her or her sister had any reason to tell her sister anything. The speech by the male character expressing his emotions at the end was so typical of this bland film.… Expand

from the opening minutes of this film it was trite, tedious, and extremely amateurish. I struggled to keep from walking out after a third of the way through, but stayed only because I didn't want to go home and had no other good option. When I thought the story line was coming to life the plot just got dumber. The characters were unappealing, unconvincing, and extremely boring. The only good thing, was the scenery and cinematography, which was very excellent. Poor story, poor writing, poor performances, albeit if the actors had more to work with they might have been more convincing.… Expand

My goodness, why is this movie getting reviews so high?
Yes the setting is nice, cinematography is well done in general. By dialogs? Silly, empty at best.
The acting is not convincing. I was waiting and waiting for the movie to get better. Time wasted, alas.
Overall I find the movie just pathetic. It does not happen that often that I would disagree with critics that much. Oh well. Be warned.

Wonderful acting performances throughout, and I love the setting and the music from Band of Horses. What I"m not a big fan of it this type of ending. Sure, it doesn't matter to this story what happens when the credits role. But it feels a little cheap to me. I've now seen this 3 or 4 times in dramas releases over the last year. I think the filmmakers are taking the easy way out by doing it.