Sisters

From their inspired pairing on Saturday Night Live and their hysterical 2008 comedy Baby Mama to their riotous hosting of the Golden Globes, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are one of the funniest double-acts in recent memory. So even if they make a film as limp as this one, it's still packed with plenty of laughs. With a simplistic premise and obvious gags, the film isn't nearly as clever as they are. But they make it watchable.

As the title suggests, they play siblings: Kate (Fey) is a single mother with no job and nowhere to live, while Maura (Poehler) has never quite recovered from her divorce. Then their parents (Dianne Wiest and James Brolin) announce that they're selling the family home in Orlando, so Kate and Maura return to clean out their childhood bedrooms. And they're inspired to throw one last epic house party, inviting all of their old high school friends (including John Leguizamo), their school arch-nemesis (Maya Rudolph), a beefy drug dealer (John Cena) and a cute new neighbour (Ike Barinholtz).

Unsurprisingly, once the alcohol starts flowing, things get way out of hand.

Fey and Poehler can find humour in almost any scenario, and they have a great time here inverting their usual personas. Fey is playing the wild child who is trying to stay sober and be responsible, while Poehler is the nerd who finally wants to let her hair down. Even when the blunt script lets them down, their perfectly timed interaction and razor sharp improvisation are hilarious. Of the supporting cast, Wiest and Brolin have a great time playing it straight, while Rudolph shamelessly steals every scene she can sink her claws into, just like the amusingly attention-seeking woman she's playing. Although the painfully thin plot and barely defined characters kind of leave everyone flailing in the wind.

With a sharper sense of who these people are and a more pointed narrative, this might have been a comedy classic. But aside from the casting, the movie feels as generic as its title. At least there are enough big laughs to help paper over the corny clunkers in between them. And thankfully the filmmakers never let the swelling sentimentality swamp the movie, undermining it with jagged mockery. But without anything going on under the surface, the film is utterly forgettable. So while it passes the time amiably enough, it leaves us hoping Fey and Poehler will find a script that's worthy of their talent.

Watch the trailer for Sisters here: