Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the release of King Richard, which is about two of the most famous sisters out there in Venus and Serena Williams, we’re counting down our favorite movies about sisters! Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
10 Things I Hate About You is a modernization of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in a late-’90s high school setting. It’s about new kid Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), being smitten with popular girl Bianca (Larisa Oleynik), and in order to date her, he has to get the bad boy, Patrick (Heath Ledger), to date Bianca’s ill-tempered sister, Kat (Julia Stiles). It’s a mouthful, but the film is definitely one of those fun, coming-of-age, teenage rom-coms. We got breakout roles from Stiles, Ledger, and Gordon-Levitt, especially Ledger, throwing him into heartthrob status. The film shows us the fun, wild ride of trying to find the right suitor for Kat while watching the other relationships/friendships evolve or crumble. Kat and Bianca’s relationship is up and down (just like any) throughout the film before the sisters come to an understanding and bond again. Also, we can’t forget Ledger’s charming marching band rendition of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” and a hilarious drunk table dance by Stiles to The Notorious BIG’s “Hypnotize.” It happened to be one of my favorite ‘90s teenage films growing up, and I enjoy it every time. (Chantal Ashford)
It’s been a while since I have seen this film, so I’ve decided to re-watch it. And what a re-watch it was. Melancholia is that kind of a movie that you don’t want to see too often, despite its undeniable brilliance. If you have seen this film, you remember the story about how the planet Melancholia might or might not collide with our planet. But you might have forgotten (like me) that in the front and center is a family relationship drama. For the first hour, you see sisters (portrayed brilliantly by Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg) through the lens of one of them getting married. But the second half of the film is only about them and their struggle with their mental health. They each have scars on their souls; Dunst’s are just more visible at times. And that is juxtaposed with the looming danger of all life being eliminated. Melancholia is 100% a film that’s not for everyone. And even if you are on board with writer-director Lars Von Trier, it’s not something you can just pop in on a cozy Sunday afternoon. You need to be in a specific mindset. But if you get there, you will be depressed afterwards. But you’ll also be rewarded, because you won’t see a more beautiful film about the potential end of the world, mixed with drama about depression. And you should definitely watch it for the two-woman show; Dunst and Gainsbourg both excel in this film. (Luke Burian)
Living in the shadow of a sibling has to be tough, especially when that shadow belongs to someone as talented as Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) from A League of Their Own.At the start of the film, we are introduced to an elderly Dottie viewing her grandsons playing basketball. She tells the older grandson to take it easy on his brother and the complete opposite to the younger. This scene perfectly sets up the type of relationship that Dottie had with her younger sister Kit (Lori Petty) growing up, as well as the envy that Kit felt as a result of Dottie’s natural talents. Dottie is seen as the perfect daughter, ballplayer, and overall an exceptional human being, whereas Kit is always called out on her shortcomings as a result of having an extraordinary sister. This animosity only grows due to the nonchalant nature that Dottie has towards her gifts on the ball field. Baseball means the world to Kit and is a passion for her, but Dottie shrugs it off and only really joins up so Kit will get the opportunity to play. This rivalry comes to a head when Kit is traded to the Racine Belles and the championship game comes down to one final play at the plate. A League of Their Own shows the difficulties of growing up with someone who projects greatness with every fiber of their being, and the strain that it can place on that sibling bond. (Joe Vargas)
To make it two great, but difficult to watch movies about sisters featuring Kirsten Dunst on this list, I’m here to discuss Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides. This movie is dark and upsetting, but also kind of uplifting and inspirational? Kind of? There’s a lot that goes into this movie about the five teenaged Lisbon sisters, who live in a strict Catholic household and are an almost voyeuristic fascination of some of their male schoolmates. Coppola burst onto the directing scene with this movie, and i’m glad she’s here, because this is a story told from the perspective of the type of person whose voice very rarely is heard in society, let alone moviemaking. The Virgin Suicides is about so many things — too many, in fact, to get into in this short blurb. So I’ll leave you with the real gut punch of a line, which is delivered by one of the sisters regarding her doctor’s confusion at her suicide attempt: “Obviously, Doctor, you’ve never been a 13-year-old girl.” I haven’t either, but thanks to this movie, I know the tiniest fraction more about what it entails. (Robert Bouffard)
“Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” Lilo & Stitch is in the top tier of Disney animation. It tells the story of Lilo (Daveigh Chase), who is struggling after the loss of her parents, and her sister Nani (Tia Carrere), who is struggling to raise her sister alone. They decide to adopt a dog one day so Lilo can have a friend. The “dog” is Stitch (Chris Sanders), who turns out to be an alien experiment who crashed on earth after escaping capture. The hilarity and hijinks is only beginning with these two, but one of the special aspects of this film is the relationship between Nani and Lilo — sisters whose dynamic has now shifted to a mother child relationship, which will of course cause some fighting and arguments. I know what it’s like having had an older sister myself, and believe me, we have had our struggles. But I know she will always be there for me. That’s what Lilo and Nani come to learn, and they grow together through this movie; it truly is a heartwarming tale. At the start, Nani is not the perfect guardian, but by the end, she not only proves to be the perfect guardian to social worker Cobra Bubbles (Ving Rhames), but most importantly to herself and Lilo. This is not one to overlook if you haven’t already seen it. (Austen Terry)
What better modern take on sisterly love is there than a (quite literally) heartwarming tale about how true love doesn’t have to necessarily mean romance, but can instead symbolize the unbreakable bond of sisterhood? My best friend’s little sister saw Frozen eight times in the theater, and I completely understand why: everything about it is spectacularly done, from the beautiful animation to the endearing voice acting, of course capped off by the type of wonderful, hits-close-to-home message that Disney is so good at. I must admit I’ve warmed up to it over the years after some earlier hesitation, but one thing hasn’t changed in the eight years that Frozen’s been out: I have not been able to get “Let It Go” out of my head. (Rowan Wood)
This week, we’re going across the pond to a film I’ve not seen before but have heard about in 2007’s Atonement, a film where a series of misunderstandings and miscommunications leads to a young girl accidentally ruining the relationship between her older sister and her suitor, and said suitor’s reputation. Joe Wright has made an excellent piece of art in this film, which is phenomenally shot, very well paced, and does a great job telling a truly heartbreaking story. You have stellar performances by Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, and all three actors to play Briony, as a teen, young adult, and elderly woman. What specifically appeals to me is how the soundtrack often used the sound of typewriters that are ever so prevalent in this movie, giving it more of a story vibe than before. While this film is a hard movie to watch, I cannot do anything but marvel at how well it is made and the work done both in front of and behind the camera. (Joseph Davis)
If you think finding a suitable partner is a drag in today’s world, just imagine what it was like for a woman in the English Georgian era — especially when that woman is one of five daughters of a landed gentleman. While Mrs. Bennett of Pride and Prejudice tries her best to make sure her daughters find themselves a good match so that Mr. Bennet’s lands and possessions are not all completely lost upon his death, the Bennett sisters navigate their perceived responsibility to do right by their family name in the midst of their own desires. While this film does focus mostly on Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), the dynamics between the sisters play a large part in the way the characters make their decisions and judgments of others, and it’s especially in those perceptions of each other that the main characters find their conflicts. Even this far removed from that time, what Pride and Prejudice says about courting in a time where women were not allowed to have their own income or property is very much worth listening to. (Chris Bakker)
With my predilection for animated features, the Studio Ghibli hole in my filmography is quite perplexing. A couple months back, I crossed My Neighbor Totoro off my list of shame. This movie is utterly delightful. It follows two sisters after they move to the country to be closer to their sick mother and discover magical spirits inhabiting their new home and the forest around it. The sisters bond with the spirits, and the lines between fantasy and reality become blurred. It’s like a less depressing version of Pan’s Labyrinth. Though the spirits are amazing and are what a lot of people remember from the film, the sisters and their relationship are really the heart of the film. They are both absolutely adorable and it’s impossible not to get drawn in by them. With that buy-in, the highs of their joy while exploring their new home and the lows in some of the more emotional moments become even more impactful. (Jake Bourgeois)
If you are looking for a movie about sisters, is there any more iconic than Little Women? Based on the novel written by Louisa May Alcott, Little Women has been adapted for the screen seven times as of this writing, with the most recent outing being released in 2019, which is far and away the best. Admittedly, I am a bit biased in that I believe Saoirse Ronan is the best actress working today. She was the main reason I decided to check this out. I was then incredibly impressed by Florence Pugh, and will follow either actress in anything they do going forward. This story is told with a few small twists on the classic tale, as the adaption of both parts are not told in a linear fashion, but rather intertwined with flashbacks as the present story takes place. This creates some wonderful parallels between scenes and how they play out differently. The most striking and emotional scene being when Beth (Eliza Scanlen) succumbs to scarlet fever. The first time we see Beth sick, Jo (Ronan) wakes to find her not in her bed and fears the worst, only to find Beth is in fact well and laughing downstairs. The next time we see this scene, Jo finds Beth not in bed, but rushes downstairs to find her family in tears as Beth has sadly passed away. Heart-wrenching. The whole movie, Beth’s illness is always in the background, creeping up like a classic horror villain, and because this is based on a 150-year-old book, you know that the villain gets its victim. Knowing this, it makes the interactions between the sisters all that much more sweet. The bond the girls have with each other is very real. The jealousy feels real, and the confusion of Amy (Pugh) and Meg (Emma Watson) at how Jo can be so different is universal when it comes to families. The March sisters are the pinnacle of what relationships look like and it is done no better than the 2019 Academy Award-nominated Little Women. (Scott Batchelor)
White Christmas
“Sisters, sisters! There were never such devoted sisters!” White Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday movie. There’s so much heart behind this movie, and it brilliantly showcases exactly what the spirit of this season is all about: family, love, compassion, understanding, and giving. Plus, who doesn’t love to sing along to the classic hits like “Snow,” “Sisters,” and “White Christmas”? When there’s so much to adore, it’s even more impressive that this film centers around the relationship of two sisters. Their dynamic acts as the crux for the entire plot structure. It feels incredibly progressive for the time, and still elicits a wide range of emotions today. In the end, when you mix all of this with the amazing humor of Danny Kaye, the warm embrace of Bing Crosby’s vocals, and the enchanting performances of Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen, then you certainly have something special with White Christmas. (Heath Lynch)
The Parent Trap
The Parent Trap that I am going to talk about is the 1998 remake. Why? For two very important reasons. First of all, it was a classic. You have Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson as the parents of the estranged twins. What’s not to love? Yes, what’s not to love indeed, which brings me to my second point. The twins, played by Lindsay Lohan and Kelsey Lohan. Kelsey, the forgotten Lohan twin. Think about it. This is 1998. Hollywood didn’t have the kind of technology needed to have the same actress on the screen at the same time. It is only logical to hire real twins! Shortly after filming was completed, Kelsey died in a tragic car “accident.” Disney knew this movie was going to be a huge success and didn’t want to risk its financial future off of a main star dying under mysterious circumstances. So they did the only logical thing: erased Kelsey from all of history, paid the Lohan family to keep quiet, and let the movie gross $92 million off of a $15 million budget. This is what led the surviving Lohan down the dark path that she ended up on. When she made “I Know Who Killed Me” to atone for her role in the cover up, it almost killed her as well. Well, it’s okay, Lindsay. SiftPop is here to help you finish getting the word out. #JusticeForKelsey (Frank Kemp)
My Sister’s Keeper
To what depths would you go to save a sibling? It’s a tough call simply because we say we would do anything for our siblings, but when the spotlight and potentially the pressure is on, we have to make tough decisions that may not always go as planned. My Sister’s Keeper, based on the 2004 Jodi Picoult novel, centers around sisters Anna (Abigail Breslin) and Kate Fitzgerald (Sofia Vassilieva). Kate has acute promyelocytic leukemia, and Anna was literally created to save Kate’s life. That by itself is a tough premise, but add in that Kate is in need of an organ transplant, which Anna figured could come one day, a moment where she would be called upon to save Kate’s life, and it throws a wrench into Anna’s life. Anna sues her parents for medical emancipation so she can make the decision regarding her medical needs. This is a tough watch to get through, mainly because you feel for both sisters. They have an amazing relationship even though Kate is more of a focus due to her illness. The course of the movie shows how strong of a relationship they have and shows what lengths a sister will go to help one another. (Mike Hilty)
27 Dresses
An absolute classic of modern romantic comedy cinema, this is a film that will long live in the hearts of female millennials everywhere. Following our lead, Jane (Katherine Heigl), she is the physical representation of the cliche ‘always a bridesmaid, never a bride,’which is only confirmed by her having been in 27 weddings when we meet her at the beginning of the film. From there, it’s pretty standard stuff: enemies-to-lovers romance, fun montages, and a distant crush who ends up not being the true love. But the other real standout is the difficult relationship between Jane and her little sister. Both romantic and familial rival, you feel Jane’s struggle to marry her maternal instinct to her baby sibling, especially when paired with the frustration around her actions. It’s a struggle that’s relatable and entertaining, which allows for this to be a truly fun rom-com that would easily satisfy anyone when the mood hits them. (Alice-Ginevra Micheli)
Also See: Fiddler on the Roof, Blue Jasmine, Margot at the Wedding, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, Sense and Sensibility
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