The Banger Sisters (2002)

Lavinia and Suzette, former rock groupies and best friends, reconnect after 20 years; one is still as wild as ever, while the other has adopted a more conservative lifestyle.

Director:

Bob Dolman

Writer:

Bob Dolman

Stars:

Goldie Hawn, Susan Sarandon, Geoffrey Rush

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Goldie Hawn	...	Suzette
Susan Sarandon	...	Lavinia Kingsley
Geoffrey Rush	...	Harry Plummer
Erika Christensen	...	Hannah Kingsley
Robin Thomas	...	Raymond Kingsley
Eva Amurri Martino	...	Ginger Kingsley (as Eva Amurri)
Matthew Carey	...	Jules
Andre Ware	...	Jake
Adam Tomei	...	Club Owner
Sal Lopez	...	Pump Attendant
Kohl Sudduth	...	Hotel Clerk
Tinsley Grimes	...	Prom Girl
Larry Krask	...	Man in Bar
Marlayna Cherisse	...	Young Groupie (as Marlayna Garrett)
Josh Todd	...	L.A. Buckcherry Band Member

Storyline

When fiftysomething Suzette loses her job as a bartender she decides to make a road trip to visit her old friend Vinnie who she hasn't seen since their days as groupies back in the day. On the way she meets Harry, a nervous writer who says he is going home to confront his father, then shows her his gun. Once they reach their destination Suzette finds that Vinnie is now Lavinia, a conservative housewife who is reluctant to reexperience the flower power of her youth, and Harry finds confrontation with himself rather than with his father.

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Plot Keywords:

writer | bartender | lawyer | road trip | gun | 

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Taglines:

Some friendships last forever... like it or not.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, sexual content and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official website [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Groupies Forever

Filming Locations:

Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£201,731 (UK) (31 January 2003)

Gross:

$256,084 (Brazil) (7 February 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Gran Via, Elizabeth Cantillon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the "Rock Cock" sequence, the girls were shown Polaroids of the crew who had volunteered to be photographed especially for that sequence. The surprise on Susan Sarandon's face is quite genuine when she saw who the photographs were of and recognized the faces.

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Goofs

Harry said he owned a Dodge Duster when he was in Hollywood. The Duster was a Plymouth; the Dodge version was the Demon.

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Quotes

Harry: [turns off Suzettes loud stereo] I'm 50.
Suzette: This had better be good cause you just fucked with my music.
Harry: I'm 50, and I'm going to give myself a birthday present. I'll tell you what it is but you have to promise not to judge.
Suzette: You gotta tell somebody, Harry.
Harry: I made myself a deadline. If I wasn't successful by the time I turned 50 then I'm coming back to Phoenix.
[takes a rifle out of his case]
Harry: I've never fired a gun in my life. It's got only one bullet. One bullet intended for one specific person.
Suzette: And...
[...]

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Connections

References Vanilla Sky (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Burn Out"
Written by Chris Spoltore, Nick Spoltore, Ben Wilkinson
Performed by Slack
Courtesy of Combustion Music

User Reviews

Funny, Entertaining, and Reflective

Banger Sisters is a funny romp and completely enjoyable movie about living life and being true to oneself. Geoffrey Rush is over the top and provides a real different sense of humor while Goldie Hawn is her reliable, funny, sad, and confident self. Susan Sarandon gets to evolve or de-evolve in front of the audience in this comedy drama. A great way to enjoy the beginning of the 2002 fall movie season to bring in the autumn with a movie that reflects upon our past and where we are going. It brings two very different cultures together in a poignant and comical way.