| February 6th, 2018

Netflix’s “Step Sisters”: A Surprisingly Genuine Story of Sisterhood

By: journeymagazine

By | Simone Williams

(4 out of 5 Strikes)

“Sisterhood” is a core value listed on the websites of every single Divine 9 sorority. In fact, on Jan. 21, dozens of young women showed up to an interest meeting for FAMU’s Beta Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. in hopes of joining the Delta sisterhood. However, “sisterhood” involves more than simply membership. This is the message conveyed in the new Netflix original movie “Step Sisters.”

“Step Sisters” is a comedic drama surrounding Jamilah Harris: president of the black Theta Chi Phi sorority, student liason to the Dean of Students, and Harvard Law School hopeful. After a scandalous video of Sigma Beta Beta a sorority girls goes viral, the Dean of Students tasks Jamilah with training the SBBs to compete a charity step show in exchange for an alumnus letter of recommendation to Harvard.

As Jamilah starts coaching the ladies of SBB, it becomes clear that their sorority has zero sense of sisterhood. At times, it is hard to tell if they even like each other. This comes as a shock to Jamilah since she comes from a close-knit sorority, whose motto includes the phrase “sister over self.”

Photo Courtesy of Daniel McFAdden/Netflix

Jamilah sticks with the girls and watches their sisterhood grow exponentially over time. Then, just when her recommendation letter seems to be in reach, everything falls apart. True to life, adversity brings out her true colors and prove that it is Jamilah herself who most needs a lesson in sisterhood.

If you are watching “Step Sisters” in search of a nuanced story about culture sharing, prepare to be wildly disappointed. Less than five minutes into the movie, Beth, Jamilah’s white best friend, boasts her own inadequate stepping knowledge by saying, “Three words: Stomp. The. Yard.” before excusing herself to go “holler at a brother or two.”

There isn’t much improvement in cultural understanding for the rest of the movie, however that was never the goal of this story. And, if you can survive the first 20 minutes, this movie will surprise you with some great laughs and heartfelt story of sisterhood that will make you glad that you watched.