The film title is a play on words. The story is about three sisters, including the heroine of the story, Esperanza, or “Espy,” played by Laura Carmine, and the fact she heads home to Sisters, Oregon, to visit her two sisters, Faith (Valentina Azarra), and Caridad (Marielena Davila).
Espy moved to Seattle years before where she became a successful lawyer. In the beginning of the movie, her co-workers greet her with cupcakes and a Happy Birthday song. Her supervisor, Hal, comes in to tell her she is going to make junior partner, which makes her day. However, what she doesn’t know is that her mother, back in Sisters, is close to passing away. She talks to Espy on the phone, checking to see if she might be able to come visit. Espy says not now, and the film fast-forwards to three months ahead and she learns of her mom’s passing. She plans to fly to Sisters to attend her mother’s funeral and to take care of business regarding her death. This will mean leaving her job for a time and her current boyfriend, Curtis (Joseph Gray). But it might be a good change, as Espy had told her mother on the phone that she is now 31 years old, and she asked, “Shouldn’t I be happier?”
Ever since Espy’s mom and dad divorced some years before, she hasn’t been close with her sisters, as everyone simply went their separate ways. This will be a new opportunity to see if things can change.
Laura Carmine does an excellent job as Espy, as she is level-headed and practical, and when her mother’s will places a lot of power in Espy’s lap, as far as the terms of the will are concerned, we soon learn why her mother worked things out as she did. She seemed to know that Espy would have the best chance of the sisters in reviving her relationship with Faith and Caridad. And the grief of losing her mother is well-acted by Carmine.
The movie does a good job in demonstrating real-life problems and issues in families, such as the example of Faith’s teen son who wants more freedom. But she refuses to let him have more of it. His name is Mario, and he makes it clear that he is not into drugs, but just longs to be more independent. Faith and Mario’s dad divorced, and his father got the house while Faith got Mario. She doesn’t realize that at times she is smothering him.
Another example of the troublesome situations in the movie lies with Espy’s sister, Caridad, and her husband Daniel. They have been close in the past, but she is restless now, and Daniel doesn’t understand why he can’t make her happy as he once did. He does learn the one need she has by the film’s conclusion.
Upon arriving in Sisters, Espy soon moves into her mother’s old home, which was being remodeled. She takes up the project and soon old friends like schoolmate Bruno help her out, as does Lewis (Nick Hounslow), a man that handled her mother’s estate and who seems attracted to Espy. In turn, she seems to feel the same way. Espy must deal with her sisters’ disappointment in the way her mother’s will was handled, as well as their personal issues. She offers help and advice, which sometimes goes well and sometimes doesn’t. They don’t always like her recommendations. Espy will learn that, as her mom had told her, “God is already here and so will your sisters be.” And a beautiful shot of autumn with its orange leaves and a beautiful church setting is an awesome display of the film’s cinematography.
There are some moments of comic relief, such as when Espy is wearing high heels, and Caridad mocks her, saying her “hiking boots must be great for those long, hiking trips to Starbucks.” When Espy mocks her saying it in the restroom later, as she looks disgustedly in the mirror, it is indeed a delicious moment.
In another scene, two of the sisters talk about dealing with life’s problems, and Espy says, “Remember how devastated we were when NSYNC broke up?” They laugh as they realize they survived it.
Espy’s mom’s presence is mighty in the film. In another comedic moment, she told her daughters in her will that she would always be with them, “whether they like it or not,” which resulted in smiles from them all.
Eventually, Espy must make some difficult decisions. Although she works from home for her law firm in Seattle, her job would prefer her to return. And when things begin to go south with her sisters, she must decide if leaving would be better.
As far as the content is concerned, there includes some drinking in a couple of scenes, and some tension between characters, as well as arguments. Several uses of “OMG” and “O/G” are uttered.
Think About it: Although there are not a lot of Christian themes, God is mentioned in a positive way and there are a couple of church scenes. These scenes could be used by parents to mention the importance of faith and church. The film is appropriate for Ages 12+ although parents might decide that their children a bit under the age of 12 would be fine in viewing the film. Our content listing should help parents make informed decisions.
The Dove Take: This movie has a bit of everything in it – drama, romance, death, and grief, as well as comedy, and viewers will enjoy it.
