Product Details

• Actors: Kirstie Alley, Bill Pullman, Carrie Fisher, Jami Gertz, Scott Bakula
• Directors: Carl Reiner
• Writers: Martha Goldhirsh
• Producers: David V. Lester, Don Miller, George Shapiro, Howard West, Liz Glotzer
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: January 13, 1998
• Run Time: 87 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0792837754
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #165,786 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Carl Reiner, who paired with Steve Martin in The Jerk, takes another rewarding gamble in Sibling Rivalry, matching comic actress Kirstie Alley with a screwball tale of mistaken identities, three sets of siblings, and a pesky corpse. Alley plays a neglected wife encouraged by her sister (Jami Gertz) to have a fling; when she does precisely that with a handsome stranger (Sam Elliott), he not only dies in bed but turns out to be a long-lost brother-in-law. Further complicating matters is a salesman (Bill Pullman) who thinks he inadvertently killed Elliott's character, plus a lot of doctor jokes (Carrie Fisher plays a bullying gynecologist married to a protologist) and a deadpan cop (Ed O'Neill). The screenplay's comic complications take a little too long to reach critical mass, but when they do, Reiner masterfully controls the essential screwball timing and Alley, Pullman, Gertz, and screen veterans John Randolph and Frances Sternhagen thoroughly deliver. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty Darn Funny, August 29, 2004

By 

Scott FS (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sibling Rivalry (DVD)

"It must have made an impact!" (Marjorie Turner explaining her affair to her husband.)

Kirstie Alley plays Marjorie Turner, who is married, somewhat unhappily, to Harry Turner (Scott Bakula), a physician in a family of physicians. She is very much the repressed housewife, running the household while hubby is more interested in his work than her.

Her wacky sister, Jeanine (Jami Gertz), suggests an affair (is this ever a good idea in films?). Marjorie is susceptible, and meets a handsome older man in the grocery store. They have a one-time only affair, and the movie is set in motion.

Directed by Carl Reiner, the movie is funny, enjoyable, and well-acted. Alley gives one of her better efforts here, alternately playing a frazzled housewife, a contrite adulteress, a co-conspirator, an advice-giver and a fabricator of ever-increasingly tall tales. Bill Pullman plays Nicholas Meany, an akward, failed salesman, who's desperate for one last chance. He just picks the wrong hotel room to ply his wares.

Bakula isn't on screen much, and given his character of an up-tight, nerdy gastroenterologist, he doesn't have a chance to display much range. Jamie Gertz does a good job playing the ditzy sis, and Ed O'Neill does equally as well as the law enforcement half of the Meany brothers.

Recommended. An all-around above-average effort.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sibling Rivalry - A Family Tree Becomes A Family Bush, March 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Sibling Rivalry [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I found this movies so funny and mind-bending. About a women, who is bored with her husband, is persuaded to have an affair by her sister. Marjorie does have an affair: unwittingly, with her husband's brother. Talk about loving someone to death! A salesman, Nick, enters the hotel room, with the body under the covers. He tries to install vertical blinds, and they fall on the head of the dead chap in bed (Charles Jr.). Nick thought that he killed Charles. He manages to call Marjorie, to tell about the news of the death of what he thought to be her husband. Both of them find themselves in a sticky-wicket. Neither can contact the officials (for Marjorie's husband [Harry] and his family are doctors, and Nick's brother is a policeman.) So they try to make it appear that Charles committed suicide. Brothers and sisters of Marjorie, Harry, Nick, all get involved somehow or another. It's difficult to give details without either confusing you or giving too much information away. The cast is good. Kirstie Alley as Marjorie Turner; Bill Pullman as Nick; Scott Bakula as Harry Turner (who, by the way, looks absolutly gorgeous with longer hair and beard at the end); Sam Elliot as Charles Jr. Turner; Jami Gertz as Marjorie's sister, Jenenne; etc. Three families intertwine so much that they are no longer family trees, but a family bush. Enjoy!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Family Tree Becomes A Family Bush, March 8, 2004

By 

mary wahl (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sibling Rivalry (DVD)

I found this movie so funny and mind-bending. About a woman, Marjorie Turner, who is so bored with her husband, Harry Turner, is persuaded to have an affair by her sister, Jeanine. Marjorie does, indeed, have the affair (which is against her character): Unwittingly, with her husband's brother, Charles Turner Jr. Talk about loving someone to death! A salesman, Nick, enters the hotel room, with the body under the covers. He tries to install vertical blinds, and they fall on the head of the dead chap. Nick thought that he killed Charles. He manages to call Marjorie, to tell her about the news of the death of what he thought to be her husband. (Marjorie tripped over Nick's blinds, things spill out of her purse. She hurries into the lift before Nick discovers her wallet.) Both of them find themselves in a sticky-wicket. Neither can contact the officials (for Marjorie's husband and his family are doctors, and Nick's brother is a policeman.) So they try to make it appear that Charles committed suicide. Brothers and sisters of Marjorie, Harry, and Nick all get involved somehow or another. It's difficult to give details without confusing you (as I said, it's mind-bending) and/or giving out too much information. Kirstie Alley is Marjorie Turner; Bill Pullman is Nick; Scott Bakula is Harry Turner (who, by the way, looks absolutly gorgeous with longer hair and beard at the end); Sam Elliot is Charles Turner Jr.; Jami Gertz is Jeanine; etc. Three families intertwine so much that they are no longer family trees, but a family bush! Enjoy!