Sisters

On the surface, Sisters may seem like a basic and sometimes crass comedy and you know what? It is. But it has something that most generic gross-out comedies don't have, two of the funniest women ever in it. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler reunite on screen for the first time since 2008's Baby Mama and it is well worth the wait.

Maura (Amy Poehler) has been told by her parents Bucky and Deana (James Brolin and Dianne Wiest) that they are selling their house that she grew up in and that she and her sister Kate (Tina Fey) need to come and clear out the bedrooms they haven't lived in since they were teenagers. They want Maura to tell her sister because they are scared of how she would react. Kate meanwhile is struggling to keep a job and keep in contact with her daughter Haley (Madison Davenport) when she is lured down to Orlando by Maura. When Kate finds out the house is being sold she convinces Maura to have a big party there like they used to have when they were teenagers. Kate also convinces her to invite James (Ike Barinholtz), their cute neighbour from down the street.

This movie is really dominated by the comedy chops of both Fey and Poehler, leaving little room for the overall message of the film, something about how family is a feeling rather than a physical thing. The much bigger theme that I got out of this movie was have fun while you're young because there's a point where you get to when adult parties just become sitting around talking to each other. Unless that is your party is attending by a whole bunch of Korean partygirls and one big buff drug dealer. All of the jokes in the movie revolve around this or the fact that Maura and Kate are still living in their teen years of the 80s.

As I said, both Fey and Poehler are understandably fantastic, but what I was surprised at was the role reversal that they went through. For years I have seen Tina Fey as the voice of reason between the two because of roles like Liz Lemon in 30 Rock, but now Poehler is the responsible? It's a change I loved. Ike Barinholtz is lovably goofy as James and gets into a very uncomfortable situation and Maya Rudolph as super bitchy Brinda is hilarious. The stars of the supporting cast that stuck out for me were John Cena who was a lot funnier than his role in Trainwreck and Bobby Moynihan and Greta Lee make a great unlikely couple.

If you're a fan of both Fey and Poehler and want to see them reunite like I do then this movie is for you. If you're not then the take home message might not be enough to get you through it.

Trainwreck

Judd Apatow's last few movies have been getting a tiny bit more serious than his earlier films. Trainwreck (based on an autobiographical script by comedienne Amy Schumer) straddles a fine line between being a serious and silly comedy.

Amy (Schumer) is taught a valuable lesson by her father Gordon (Colin Quinn) when she is younger: the idea that monogamy is outdated and doesn't work. Flash forward twenty years and Amy still follows this rule, sleeping with as many guys as possible, despite dating gym-junkie Steve (John Cena). Amy works for men's magazine S'nuff and is assigned the job of writing an article about sports doctor Aaron Connors (Bill Hader), with whom she has her first serious relationship. Confused by her feelings, she looks to her younger sister Kim (Brie Larson) for guidance.

Schumer definitely brings her own brand of comedy to the table here. Her TV series Inside Amy Schumer questions the gender pigeonholing that takes place in society and in a way Trainwreck follows suit, although taking a more autobiographical tone and mixing that with Apatow's mass appeal filmmaking. The movie does make a decent attempt to ask why can't women go and sleep with as many guys as they want in the same way men do. However, this attempt only makes up the first third of the film. The remainder seeps into typical rom-com territory, with Amy eventually succumbing to the archetypical female in a romantic comedy. In fact the entire second half of the film is pretty by the book in that regard.

Overall however, the film is pretty funny. Schumer isn't as crass as Melissa McCarthy but finds the right balance of dirty jokes, as well as jokes about her ineptitude with sports (sports being a major part of this movie). The film also has one of the funniest funeral scenes I have seen outside of Death at a Funeral. The film also handles its more tender moments with grace.

The performances are a bit of a mixed bag. Schumer does an okay job at taking the lead role, but the best parts for me were Colin Quinn and basketball player LeBron James. Quinn brings his usual acerbic dry delivery to the role, making Amy's father Gordon a memorable character. James plays against how you think he would be in real life, super protective of his friend Aaron's feelings and a bit of a sensitive soul. British actress Tilda Swinton is extremely unrecognisable as Amy's boss Dianna, all fake tan and hair done up. It's actually quite a remarkable thing to see if you are a fan of her work. Hader isn't at all trying in this film, instead letting Schumer take the limelight. Brie Larson has also done better elsewhere.

There are some great smaller supporting roles and cameos. Mike Birbiglia plays Amy's brother in law who annoys her with his extremely submissive personality. Randall Park hilariously plays one of Amy's colleagues and Ezra Miller is also funny as the office intern. There are some great cameos by Matthew Broderick, as well as Daniel Radcliffe and Marisa Tomei who both appear in a film within a film called The Dogwalker.

Although it could have been better in terms of its structure, Amy Schumer's first foray into feature film writing is pretty funny and enjoyable to watch.