Banger Sisters, The MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 Content: -3

Lavinia (Susan Sarandon) abandoned her immoral groupie lifestyle of the 70s, married a successful Phoenix lawyer and now has two teenage daughters who know nothing about their mothers risqu past. But when former best friend Suzette (Goldie Hawn) appears like a blast of stale air in skin-tight jeans, messy hair and rum-and-coke breath, Lavinia is mortified. Suzette, accompanied by Harry (Geoffrey Rush), a neurotic, hypochondriac bachelor she picked up at a truck stop, eventually wins Lavinia back to her roots and endears herself as the genuine, heart-of-gold loyal friend. With three popular Oscar-winning actors, THE BANGER SISTERS will attract viewers, but its unbelievable characters and sophomoric storyline may send it to video shelves after a short theater run.

Back in their groupie heyday, Lavinia and Suzette earned the nickname, the banger sisters, because they slept with rock musicians, following them from town to town. Lavinia is portrayed as phony and deceitful because she has cast aside her promiscuous lifestyle to become a respectable wife and mother. Dressing like a hippie, bartender Suzette cant let go of the past and loses her job for drinking with the customers. In Phoenix, she rescues Lavinias teenage daughter, Hannah (Erika Christensen), who overdoses on drugs at her high school prom. Later Lavinia catches Hannah and her boyfriend having sex in their swimming pool, and, once again, Suzette defends Hannahs behavior. Later she and Lavinia let loose by going bar-hopping and smoking pot. The family discovers them, high on pot, giggling over nude pictures of their many lovers. Sadly, THE BANGER SISTERS implies that Lavinia is better off reverting to her hippie self and that teenagers experimenting with sex and drugs is part of growing up. Crude sexual humor, almost two dozen obscenities and regular profanities further trash the dialogue. This irresponsible Hollywood attempt to glamorize promiscuous sex and drugs, hopefully, will fade quickly

Preview Reviewer: Mary Draughon
Distributor: Fox Searchlight/ 20th Century Fox, 10201 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles,CA 90035