The Sister in Law (1974) Online

If you find this rare film on video, do yourself a favor and don't read the blurb on the back of the box. For some reason they give away the entire plot - including the ending! (It is called a "Suspense/Thriller" in the fine print. Giving away the ending ruins what little "suspense" it has. Drama is a better description for it.)

While there isn't an Amazon listing for the film; (it is long out-of-print on video), original copies can often be found on ebay, at a reasonable price.

"The Sister In Law" is notable for a very youthful John Savage sporting long hair and full beard, but don't expect the title to have much of anything to do with the plot.

Savage also wrote the music for the film, and performed 3 of his own songs. Savage's voice and style of composition would be more classified as "easy-listening with vocals" than any other style of music.

The film has a very early 70's feel; (not surprising as it was made in 1974)- but one wonders if we were ever this naive? Granted, '74 was an entirely different era, but even then, one would think twice about messing with the bad guys in that situation.

The acting of the ladies in the film consists mostly of disrobing, with some false-voiced sentences thrown in.

All in all it is Savage's film - non-fans won't find much here to interest them.

The sister in law is one of those little known movies from the 1970's that slipped below the radar.the big star in this film is John Savage,who went on to star in; hair(78)the onion field(80)and the recent low budget horror flick;Christina's house(1999)this is about two brothers,one good one rotten,savage plays the good one.there's a love triangle,mafia dealings,and some drama.I'm not giving any spoilers away on this but i do recommend this movie as it is pretty good.the title makes it sound like an exploitation film,but it is'nt.its rated r so there's some violent scenes and nudity.the sister in law is a selection from the 8 movie boxed set called;drive in classics from;crown inter- national.i was very disappointed out by the ending,and i know most who view this movie will agree.i give sister in law 7 out of 10.its a pretty good little melodrama.

The director of this film wasn't an amateur, even as it was his first feature. The Sister-in-Law is made not by some inept slacker looking for a couple of bucks of loose change, but someone who does care a little about his craft. This doesn't exactly make it very good but it does show that there is something going on, that dramatically the film actually makes sense, has some decent acting (or from John Savage very good acting) and even some sexy sex scenes where it's required. It's a fairly simple story of two brothers caught up in hazardous circumstances: one, Savage, is having affairs with the the wife and eventually the mistress of the other brother who is, in fact, in very hot water over a drug deal he was supposed to act as courier for over to Canada.

It follows their trials and tribulations in these matters, and for the typical drive-in crowd (it comes with a pack of eight movies from Crown entertainment) there are some typical pleasures like skinny dipping at night or some (almost) wacky gangster violence. But in reality this is really a low-key drama played out on personal stakes and put to a musical track by Savage himself that isn't half-bad, unlike most exploitation scores that are either bad or just non-existent in the talent sense. There's even a banjo-plucking number done during a chase scene that rings as some fun. Comparatively, indeed, out of the eight movies assembled (others include Best Friends and The Stepmother), this is more than likely the best. It's conventional marital-cum-crime drama at a professional level.

Nice guy Robert Strong (a fine and charming performance by John Savage) returns home after traveling all around America. Robert is reunited with his fiercely competitive failed writer and compulsive gambler brother Edward (a solid turn by Will MacMillan). Robert gets involved with Edward's sassy estranged wife Joanna (winningly played with saucy spirit by the stunningly gorgeous Anne Saxon). Things get more complicated when Edward asks Robert to do him a favor by driving to Canada and delivering a special package for him. Edward's adorable mistress Deborah Holt (an endearingly sweet portrayal by the extremely cute Meredith Baer) tags along for the ride. Writer/director Joseph Ruben, who later did such excellent thrillers as "The Stepfather" and "True Believer," concocts a decidedly offbeat and laid-back character-driven feature that's essentially about sibling rivalry and loyalty. Fortunely, the strong acting from Savage and MacMillan carries the film and keeps things engrossing throughout. Savage in particular is outstanding; he projects a very engaging sense of purity and naiveté as the wide-eyed Robert. Moreover, Savage also composed the neatly eclectic score and sings several terrific songs on the soundtrack. Bruce G. Sparks' polished cinematography likewise does the trick. The brutal surprise downbeat ending is absolutely devastating. Granted, this picture does deliver the expected tasty female nudity and a few hot soft-core sex scenes, but it's by no means your standard sleazy serving of 70's drive-in exploitation trash. Instead it's a satisfyingly idiosyncratic affair which qualifies as a real unjustly neglected sleeper.

Bobby returns home after spending a year and a half touring America "to find himself" and finds himself embroiled in an affair with his author brother's estranged wife Joanna. What's obvious almost from the get-go is that Joanna wants to cause her husband some grief, particularly since he's living with a girlfriend while she is staying with his parents(!)..it's bad timing for Bobby who may've inherited a lot more than he could possibly realize. When Bobby, really a troubled young man with little aspirations it seems as far as a career is concerned, is introduced to Deborah, Edward's lover, he becomes enamored even though, at the same time, he's carrying on the affair with Joanna. Deb was a college student at Cambridge where Edward was lecturing and immediately smitten, she became his later lover. When Edward needs to be in Los Angeles the same time a package is to be picked up and delivered for his mob boss, he will appeal to Bobby for help(even "pimping" Deb away to go along out of desperation)which will yield tragic consequences..opening the package out of curiosity, Bobby and Deb will discover exactly what Edward's been helping his boss traffic for all that money in return, and a compulsive decision(which, while right in a moral way, will inevitably wreak havoc for Edward who needed the task itself to be fulfilled for his own personal safety)could lead to devastating results.

There's the alpha male pool basketball contest where Edward(who is older, stronger, and more taller than his younger brother)elbows Bobby in the face bleeding his mouth, Joanna and Deborah in a catfight(it starts with both pushing each other in the pool and escalates in Deb actually getting the better of her more devilish rival), Edward in deep with a mobster, Joanna instigating sexual liaisons with Bobby(clearly as a means to stir up Edward's ire), Bobby coerced into his brother's dangerous criminal life, Edward's betrayal of his own brother just to save his own hide, among other saucy ingredients in this 70's melodrama with overlaying music by John Savage himself(also portraying Bobby, in a method performance, excellent as expected), not to mention a juicy part for the delicious Anne Saxon as the salacious Joanna. W.G. McMillan is Edward, whose greed and own self worth drag Bobby into a mess not of his own making. Meridith Baer is the young lovely who also gets pulled into Edward's world because of his allure, soon falling in love with Bobby while on their trip to Quebec to receive the package. Shocking conclusion in grand CROWN INTERNATIONAL style. Both Anne Saxon and Meridith Baer shed their clothes in sex scenes with Savage. I just love the opening as Saxon walks down a city street with all eyes on her..she knows she's a sexy lady and revels in the fact that everyone's attention is focused intently on her. There's some interesting use of bluegrass in this movie, so out of place with the kind of characters assembled for SISTER-IN-LAW, yet somehow works. While I love Saxon in this movie, she really isn't the focal point as we might be led to believe(..which is kind of a shame, but this movie takes off in a completely different direction than first realized by opening with her).

Robert (Savage) comes home from a long trip to find things quite different between his brother Edward (McMillan) and sister-in-law Joanna (Saxon). Edward admits to Robert that he's taken a mistress named Deborah (Baer), but he hasn't totally abandoned his wife either and proves this by bringing Deborah to the house when Joanna is home. At first, both ladies are cordial to one another and actually appear friendly. Later, the two start a cat fight and push each other into the pool - all while Edward and Robert are watching from the window. Eventually, both Joanna and Deborah fall for Robert's boyish charm and humor and he develops relationships with both of them - behind Edward's back. In time, Edward tells Robert he is in a jam and asks if he would go and pick up a package for him in Canada since he can't do it himself. Robert obliges, but unwillingly. As an extra incentive, Edward sends Deborah along for the ride to make the job more "appealing". After Robert gets the package, he opens it and realizes he's now involved in something he never wanted part of. But, this was all part of Edward's plan in the first place and now he has left his little brother to take the fall for him in the surprising ending.

This movie is entertaining, but not really a zinger. The only performance I enjoyed was John Savage's as he was clearly the star of this picture. Matter of fact, of the four lead actors, he is the only one who went on to achieve major fame in the industry. Now I understand why Savage received accolades for his singing and composing of the songs in this picture -- they are really great. I knew he was a singer from his Broadway days and his role in the movie "Hair", but I had to rewind this video at least twice because the final two songs were sung so well that I couldn't believe it was him. If you are a John Savage fan, try to rent this one - at least to hear his great musical compositions.

Crown International Pictures usually had a good idea as to what drive-in product would appeal to an audience, so if you've seen this pick-up, you might be wondering along with me as to what C.I.P. saw in this exercise in boredom. The movie has a pre-fame John Savage in its cast, though his performance here is nothing to sing about. (And speaking of singing, Savage also warbles a couple of terrible-sounding songs on the movie's soundtrack.) The movie does have a healthy amount of nudity and sex, but its presented in such an ordinary way that it isn't the least bit erotic. Also, the low budget apparently affected the sound recording, because some dialogue is so muffled that it's hard to make out what's being said. But the biggest problem the movie has is that it's so slow, so uneventful for the most part, chances are you'll fall asleep before the end. Insomniacs may go for this movie, others best avoid it.

This has six or seven nude scenes and four or five straight two-minute love-making scenes without cuts or camera movement. Take away those 15 minutes and we have a simple tale of two brothers and their hostile, but ultimately loving relationship.

John Savage is quite good. This was only his second, low budget, starring role. His character is undeveloped, as is much of the plot, but he is likable.

It is director's Joseph Rueben's first film. He went on to make a number of memorable ones, including "Dreamscape," and "Sleeping with the Enemy". He gives a nice sense of realism with scenes that are naturalistic and underacted. This is nice resume reel that shows he knows the basics of movie-making. There's a certain sweetness to the movie that makes it closer to hippie movies of this era like "Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring" than the usual exploitation films with bad innuendos, one dimensional characters and quick imitation sex scenes.

It is sad that Anne Saxon who plays the sister-in-law did not make any more movies. She plays her part with charm and fun.

Watch it as an independent, low budget character study and you might enjoy it. Watch it as an sexploitation flick and you'll be disappointed.

As the first movie I have seen out of the 32-pack of "Drive-In Cult Classics" by Mill Creek, I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. Joseph Ruben would continue directing for the next 30 years after this debut film, and it's no surprise as you can see his talent, especially when compared to a lot of the other trash that was being made at that time. Everything about this movie fits perfectly into the drive-in formula (softcore nudity/sex, etc), but it doesn't use these as a crutch, rather stands well on its own as a story. The script leaves a little something to be desired in terms of character depth, but Ruben tried to layer them, and the audience is treated to a clever twist. Definitely not a great movie, but not a terrible one and by far one of the better in the genre.

This was a predictable, stupid movie, that bored the hell out of me. Other than some steamy scenes, this film was a yawner. Sibling rivalry that just never seemed believable. These 2 baby faced brothers were comical with acting that was , well, lets just say not good. The film had the feel of an X-rated film with a lot less nudity and just did not deliver. Throw in a gangster ,secondary plot and the film was downright silly.Lust, seduction and lousy dialogue, made for a movie that was anything but special. Save your time folks. For the gentlemen that want to see nudity and beyond, you may as well go all out and watch a true X-rated film.

Starts off as what appears to be a soft-core relationship drama. Takes a darker tone from the 42 minute mark. Yeah, lotsa nudity, a very undressy movie, but if you're hoping for something lascivious, this is far from it, and you will be sadly disappointed. Go to Vivid Video to find what you're after. The stories there are just as flimsy.

Just what the hell am I doing here? Just passing through the "Dangerous Babes" box-set, another item with an unsuitable name. Yeah, this movie is named after a character that turns out to have precious little to do with the eventual story- line. Anne Saxon struck me as looking like a mature version of Michelle Trachtenberg, Dawn in BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. I suppose I'm the only one to notice her face...!

I didn't really follow the story. I couldn't. The sound quality is inconsistent, and many sentences I couldn't figure out. In one instance, where John Saxon talks on the phone, revealing what happened to the drugs, the sound is booming, in other places, what is said is virtually inaudible. I think the sound mic men were kinda maybe a lazy lot.

It shouldn't have been called THE SISTER-IN-LAW. Actually, it seems as if they were filming that movie and then turned it into a completely different movie altogether.

Why is Anne Saxon only in this? She came out of nowhere then, took a very naked part, and disappeared... Did it ruin her career, did she get only bad script projects after this, did it shatter her illusions, what?

I suppose there are other reviewers here "shaking their heads" about all the nudity. Might be a corny-filmed red paint bloodbath scene at the end, but, point is, though, nudity and good sex is something beautiful, while a gory end is not, so a big raspberry to all who criticize only the nudity.

I have increasingly come to realise that I am a definite fan of the types of movies Crown International Pictures were knocking out in the early 70's. This was a time period when the influence of the American counter-culture was still very apparent and Crown were clearly tapping into this with a string of flicks which featured themes revolving around the hippy lifestyle, drugs, sexual liberation and alienated youth. In fairness, most of these films also had at least one foot in the sexploitation bracket too. For my money, this period is easily the most fertile and interesting in the history of Crown's output, with great films such as Pick-Up, Best Friends, Trip with the Teacher and various others providing excellent entertainment as well as thoroughly enjoyable time-capsule fun. The Sister-in Law is yet another to add to this selection of drive-in delights. After traveling around America to find himself, a young guy called Robert indulges in affairs with the wife and mistress of his writer brother Edward, who in turn lives a secret life as a drug peddler. Edward finds himself in deep trouble with his crime bosses and eventually ropes his brother into his world in an underhand way that leads to a path of destruction.

This one could perhaps best be described as a melodrama with thriller elements. It doesn't really have much of a focus on suspense and for the most part is a tale of two brothers. The title of the movie is pretty misleading to say the least, as the sister-in-law doesn't especially have a pivotal role in this one and is merely one of two women who interact with both brothers. I guess the title was used to imply this might be a soft-core romp. It does begin like this may be the case with the opening credits introducing us to the sister-in-law of the title strutting through the streets in a seductive manner. The actress who plays her is Anne Saxon. It appears that this was her only film role which is a bit of a shame as she was a bit of a fox for sure and most of the erotic content of the movie revolves around her appearances. The top billed actor, however, is a young John Savage, who also provided the folksy songs on the soundtrack and in fairness he is the most impressive actor on display here for sure, fleshing out his troubled character pretty well. I enjoyed the deliberate pace if this one and never at any point found it boring at all. After all, quite regularly the drama is interspersed with some nudity, a catfight in a pool, drugs, gangsters and…water-based basketball. Pleasingly, it also opts for that other staple of the times - the insanely nihilistic downbeat ending. I like these types of endings, as they indicate the unfortunate truth in life that bad people sometimes get away with extremely nasty deeds and other people pay for it. Yeah, what can I say other than this is yet another early 70's Crown International movie that I connected with and enjoyed very much.

Robert Strong (John Savage) returns home to Westchester after traveling across America. His brother Edward is rumored to get a divorce from his wife Joanna. Soon flirtations between Robert and Joanna turn serious. Edward has Deborah Holt openly as his mistress. Edward is pushed into delivering a package into Canada and he convinces Robert to do it with Deborah as the prize. When Robert and Deborah find the package filled with drugs, they dump it into a stream and have sex in the woods.

This is part soft core porno that is spiced up by some crazy family romantic entanglement and a drug deal gone wrong. It doesn't work as either that well. The acting is mostly bad but the directorial style is much worst. The ending is just completely out of step. It's a bad movie.

Joseph Ruben, the future director of such fine entertainments as "Dreamscape" and "The Stepfather", made his writing / directing debut with this appealing, quiet, deliberately paced exploitation drama. John Savage stars as Robert Strong, an earnest but very naive young man who returns home after a period of exploring America. In no time he hooks up with Joanna (Anne Saxon), the title character, who is estranged from his brother Edward (Will MacMillan). Will is a failed writer who now engages in illegal activities to make a buck. Robert *also* hooks up with Edwards' sweet new girlfriend Deborah (Meridith Baer), and makes some fateful decisions when he agrees to do a favour for Edward.

This is not your typical drive-in flick. Ruben is aware of some of the requirements of the genre, so there's some delectable nudity from the attractive Ms. Saxon, and a fair serving of sex. But the title fools you into thinking this is mostly about Joanna, when in fact it's basically Roberts' story. It's an appealing, emotionally affecting tale of sibling rivalry and family ties. Some people may be put off a little by how naive, and somewhat senseless, Robert is, but the cast truly is something special. This is much better acted than a lot of exploitation fare. Savage does well in the lead, and he also composed the score and sings a handful of folk ballads very nicely. MacMillan is superb as the more jaded, cynical older brother who's more aware of the harsh realities of the world. Both Saxon and Baer are endearing as well as being fine eye candy. Frank Scioscia is good in the supporting role of mobster Benjo.

The Leonard Maltin review insists that the movie is really hurt by its downbeat ending, but this viewer wasn't too put off. That kind of thing was really common in the 1970s, and lends a certain sad poignancy to the overall impact of the material.

Seven out of 10.

"Robert Strong" (John Savage) is a thoughtful but naive young man who has just finished traveling across the United States in a quest for self-discovery and is now returning home. When he gets there he finds that his brother, "Edward Strong" (Will MacMillan) is in the process of divorcing his wife, "Joanna Strong" (Anne Saxon) in favor of another young woman named "Deborah Holt" (Meridith Baer). While this is going on Joanna is staying at the house and is the first one to greet Robert when he arrives. Later on she also starts a fight with Deborah which both Robert and Edward observe from a distance. Yet another problem is the fact that Edward has gambled away a fortune and now supplements his income as a courier for a mobster by the name of "Benjo" (Frank Scioscia) who needs Edward to take a package across the Canadian border. Unable to accommodate Frank's demands Edward talks Robert into doing it for him and offers Deborah as an incentive. Now, rather than revealing too much I will just say that things take an unexpected turn from here on. I liked the performance of John Savage and I thought that Anne Saxon certainly added some nice scenery. Unfortunately, the movie moved at a very slow pace with some scenes being quite dull. All in all, this wasn't a terribly bad low-budget movie and I rate it as only slightly below average.

Though is says 74 it seems possible to me that this very slow, dull film was actually made earlier, given how young savage looks. He had already been in one class studio film (Bad Company) but alas had not yet given up singing. His warbling over terrible songs (so much a stable of this sort of Crown International dreck) is the toughest part of the film to endure. Hard to imagine that Savage's great breakthrough in "The Deer Hunter" was only four years away.

This is one of the films that the slower it goes to explain things, the less we seem to know. Yes, they are attractive. Yes, they are standing around. Yes, they are having sex. So? A seemingly likable and talented cast is wasted. The broad Italian mob characters are perhaps supposed to be amusing but are offensive nonetheless.

Hopefully the people who saw this at the drive in were making out.

It's Westchester, a tony suburb of New York City, in the 1970s and two young women are jealous of one another and wrestling in a spacious back yard swimming pool, splashing about, tearing their tops off, bobbing around, screaming. And from the sliding glass door of the modern house, two brothers are watching with interest. The younger brother, John Savage, says to the other, "You must be some kind of man to have two women fighting over you." I don't know why the older brother should be considered special in any way. It happens to me all the time. Every time I find myself in the presence of two women -- even strangers -- they begin fighting over me and tearing each other's brassieres off. In a crowd, this becomes unbearable. I took to avoiding subways.

Well, this is drive-in fodder. Kids, drive-ins were outdoor movie theaters in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. You could park your car in one of the rows, turn on your internal speaker, make out with your date and fog up the windows. This arrangement had definite advantages over ordinary movie theaters, which resembled those that are now called "multiplexes." Instead of a vast public arena, you sat in your tiny mobile house in which the front seat served as the parlor and the back seat the bed room.

Oh -- the movie? As far as I could make out, John Savage, never a bravura actor, returns from a year and a half of bumming around the world to find his brother and sister-in-law estranged. The sister-in-law immediately comes on to Savage, fondling him in public, tickling his crotch with her bare toes in a restaurant -- even when the still-jealous older brother is present. Something about drugs follows, involving Italianate goons. And there's another younger girl drawn in, more naive than the sister-in-law, and the younger girl takes her top off and makes love to Savage too.

Not that there's that much nudity. And what there is of it isn't extraordinarily erotic because you never lose the sense that these are two actors making believe. The coitus, at its most graphic, is tastefully suggested and the editor always cuts away before the point of ejaculatory inevitability is reached.

I suppose movies like this served their function at the time, perhaps as a make-out aid. I can't imagine that anyone in the drive-in really cared what happened to any of the characters.