August 7th, is Sister’s Day and Friendship day. Both holidays are rooted in the idea of making amends with your friend or sister, cherishing them, and celebrating your relationships. However, We here at World Wide thought we’d do something a little bit different and feature movies with sisters who were not very friendly towards one another or sisters who could even be considered mortal enemies.
- What Ever Happened to Baby Jane: This classic 1960’s movie What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? features classic actresses Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. (Don’t know either of the actresses? Think “No more wire hangers!!!” for Crawford and the name “Oscar” which was coined by Davis when she named the statue after her husband.) The movie features both actresses who play feuding sisters who hate one another to the point of violence. The movie ends by giving the viewers as small form of closure as the sisters agree they could have been friends instead of enemies but, at that point, it’s is too late. Their feud had caused irrevocable damage to both of their lives.
- The Other Boleyn Girl: The movie The Other Boleyn Girl features actresses Natalie Wood who plays the infamous “Anne Boleyn” and Scarlett Johansson who plays her older sister “Mary Boleyn”. The movie follows Mary’s introduction into court, her affair with King Henry, and her relationships thereafter. Before, of course, her sister is introduced to him. While the two sisters do not become violent with one another, one of them does play dirty. Wood’s character betrays her sister in pursuit of her ambitions causing her sister to be thrown out of the kingdom. In the end, this betrayal is costly but ,Johansson's character is still forgiving, putting her sisterhood before anything else. The movie ends as history says and the audience sees a final shot of Elizabeth, Boleyn's daughter being looked after by her aunt.
- Sixteen Candles: Molly Ringwald’s character “Samantha Baker” in the movie Sixteen Candles is a classic and the perfect match to the teen stereotype. The movie features the story of an awkward, underdeveloped teenager as she navigates through life while being forgotten by her family, and being in love with one of the most popular boys in school. Samantha confides in her older sister who then implies she trivial and calls her an asshole for wanting the attention to be on her. The two sisters butt heads but in the end, they are able to apologize to one another and move on.
- My Sister’s Keeper: The movie My Sister’s Keeper follows the life of a leukemia stricken teen and its impact on her family. Younger sister “Sara Fitzgerald” wants her older sister “Kate” to live, but, at the same time, Sara doesn’t want to give up her body and future for her sister’s medical needs. So, Sara sues her family in order to get her control of her body back. While the sisters do not exactly fight one another, they do seem to be at odds with one another.The book differs from the movie greatly, but both end tragically, leaving the Fitzgerald family reeling with the grief and loss of a loved one.
- 10 Things I Hate About You: The movie 10 Things I Hate About You follows the story of sisters “Kat” and “Bianca Stratford” played by Julia Stiles and Larisa Oleynik as the men in the movie plot to date the younger sister by finding a date for the older one. They do, a new kid by the named Patrick Verona played by the late actor Heath Ledger. Despite Kat’s best effort she falls in love but is devastated when the truth comes to light. Throughout the movies sister Kat and Bianca fight but, at end of the movie, the sisters unite and a few well power punches leaves the antagonist of the story in his place.
- Alice in Wonderland: In the live action film adaptation of Alice In Wonderland, director Tim Burton and his writers creatively make the “Red Queen” Helen Carter-Burton and “White Queen” played by Anne Hathaway sisters who are feuding over the throne throughout the movie. The movie comes to a climax when the sisters bring their armies together to start an all out war for the throne. The movie ends with one sister being banished and Alice being sent home by way of a potion. The sequel Alice through the Looking Glass had left theatres and is ready to debut on redbox in late August early September of 2016.
- Red Roses and Petrol: In the movie Red Rose and Petrol, Maeve is the younger, safe sister who may be eccentric but sticks close to home to be close to her family. Katherine is the glamorous, older sister who is seen as prettier, fashionable, morally impeccable, and as someone who is going places. Both sisters clash immediately upon seeing one another again. As the plot goes on, the movie exposes Katherine’s flaws and the cracks hidden behind the facade of the upbeat, happy Irish family. The movie ends with no real resolution of the sister’s issues but it does correct some misconceptions the audience has about the original plot of the movie.
- Dirty Dancing: The movie Dirty Dancing features another classic family dynamic. The movie follows Frances "Baby" Houseman and her family as they vacation for the summer. Baby is often pitted against older sister Lisa Houseman who is seen as more conventional and proper than her sister. Baby, the free thinker and the girl with dream, is a black sheep in her family. The sisters bicker throughout the movie and Baby even resorts to blackmailing her sister at one point. However, towards the end of the movie, the two sisters are able to come to an understanding. Lisa even admits that she was jealous of Baby and all that she had accomplished.
- Oz the Great and Powerful: The movie The Wizard of Oz is considered an American classic and is still treasured and parodied now, decades after it released 1939. The prequel Oz the Great and Powerful features actor James Franco who plays con man Oz. Mila Kunis “Theodora”, Rachel Weisz “Evanora”, and Michelle Williams “Glinda” play three witch sisters who are fighting over their father’s throne after his untimely demise. The movie ends with the sister’s fight coming to a head when Evanora and Glinda have the final fight that leads one broken and the other with the throne.
- Parent Trap: There is the original movie Parent Trap starring Hayley Mills and the more modern one starring Lindsay Lohan both share the same plot. Two twin sisters separated at birth are reunited at a summer camp where they feud, join forces, and the decided to switch places and bring their parents back together. The first half of the movie features the sister feuding with one another over their similar appearances and competitive natures. The feud comes to a head when one sister pulls the ultimate prank that lands them in deep trouble. However, because of this, the sisters are able to bond and use their devious tricks to better their family.
- Sisters: Tina Fey and Amy Pohler are our Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis of the 21st century. Every time this comedy duo teams up they bring America laughter and another legendary movie to archive. This happened when the movie Mean Girls came out in 2004 and again when the movie Sisters debuted in 2015. Sisters is a movie that comically explores the lives of two sisters, one who is wound up too tight and the other who lives her life just a bit too freely. At the movies, climax the sisters fight Maura and Kate fight over Kate’s daughter and over Maura keeping secrets from Kate. By the end of the movie, the house is destroyed and the sisters are able to stop fighting and come to an understanding.
- Frozen: The popular Disney movie Frozen centers around the relationship of two sisters who, because of older sister Elsa’s magical powers, are isolated from one another as they grow up. Though the sisters are essentially strangers to one another, they eventually come together under the principle “sisters before misters” as they save themselves and their home from the clutches of an evil prince. Everyone is looking forward to the sequel of the movie which is scheduled to come out in the next few years.
- Jacob Have I Loved: The tagline for this Jacob have I Loved is: “My beautiful and golden twin sister was adored by everyone except me- the one who should have loved her the best.” This book turned movie follows twin sisters Louise and Caroline as they grow up in a rural town during a war. Louise’s sister has taken everything from her, her friends, her family, her opportunities, even her own name. While the battle isn’t obvious, Louise is fighting her sister so she can carve out her own identity when everyone chooses her sister over her. While Louise doesn’t win her battles, she wins a war by offering a chance to another set of twins to be loved and remembered equally by their family. The story ends with Louise’s reflecting and experiencing a moment of clarity as she remembers her sister’s beautiful voice.
