RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Familiar Strangers
Familiar Strangers

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Familiar Strangers (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
N/A
Tomatometer

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:4

Fresh:1

Rotten:3

Average Rating:N/A

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for brief strong language.

Runtime: 86 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Nov 28, 2008 Limited

Synopsis: Familiar Strangers is an off beat – funny – heartfelt story of a family negotiating the changing relationships between parents and children, especially as those children grow into adulthood.... Familiar Strangers is an off beat – funny – heartfelt story of a family negotiating the changing relationships between parents and children, especially as those children grow into adulthood.

Familiar Strangers follows the Worthington’s through a four day Thanksgiving gathering. Brian (Shawn Hatosy), who moved away and kept his distance for the past several years, is reluctantly returning carrying the baggage of unresolved conflict with his father Frank (Tom Bower).

Frank feels he has lost the ability to connect with his maturing children, and has replaced them with his pets, new children “who never have to grow up”.

The matriarch Dottie (Ann Dowd) holds the reins on the family beneath the surface, brother Kenny (DJ Qualls) is a twenty-something who has not yet found his path, sister Erin (Cameron Richardson) is struggling to find herself after a painful divorce, and Erin’s young daughter Maddy (newcomer Georgia Mae Lively), observes with a wisdom truly beyond her years.

Family friend Allison (Nikki Reed), long an admirer of Brian, is happy to find him back for a visit. She may just appreciate his family more than he does, and may help to make this return home bearable.

Through conflict, ritual and communication, the Worthington family strives to find the friendship and love we all hope can exist between parents and their adult children. --© Official Site [More]

Starring: Shawn Hatosy, DJ Qualls, Ann Dowd, Cameron Richardson

Starring: Shawn Hatosy, DJ Qualls, Ann Dowd, Cameron Richardson, Georgia Mae Lively, Nikki Reed, Tom Bower, Angus Sutherland

Director: Zackary Adler

Director: Zackary Adler
Screenwriter: John Bell
Producer: Tim Estep, Bruce Heller, Scott Legrand, Marc Lieberman, Barry Sisson
Composer: Dawn Landes, Steve Salett
Studio: Cavalier Pictures

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
1 - 5 of 11

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Nov 10, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region [unknown]
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Familiar Strangers

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 4 (sorted by date)
Text View
Arrange By: Name | Date | Source
 
 

Though admirably modest and understated...it has a lot to be modest about.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
03/08/09
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Good intentions and huggable canines go only so far in the face of a predictable script and casting so random that everyone involved seems barely part of the same species, let alone the same family.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
03/06/09
Cary Darling
Cary Darling
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Familiar is right.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
11/26/08
Jason Heck
Jason Heck
Kansas City Star

One assumes writer John Bell isn’t plagued with a family full of neurotics like, say, Noah Baumbach, so while his movie manages to rise above cliche, it doesn’t have very far to go beyond that.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment 2 Comments
07/01/08
Pete Vonder Haar
Pete Vonder Haar
Film Threat
 
 
1 - 4 (sorted by date)
Text View
See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
15% 15% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
95% 95% Star Trek
67% 67% Bruno
47% 47% My Sister's Keeper
66% 66% Is Anybody There?
82% 82% Thirst

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Avatar

Avatar

Watch an exclusive behind-the-scenes video!

Friday Harvest

Friday Harvest

This week's best pics, posters, and videos!

RT's Gift Guide

RT's Gift Guide

Give the best movies, gear, and more!

What to Watch?

What to Watch?

Read our Holiday Movie Preview!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
68
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
63
  • Forbes Names Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors Source: Forbes
20
  • Chris Weitz Says He's (Almost) Done with Directing Source: Film School Rejects
26
  • Spider-Man 4 Casting Rumors Multiply Like Rabbits Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
51
  • McTeigue Says Superman Is "In a Weird Place" Source: MTV
204
  • Rachel McAdams Debunks Spider-Man 4 Rumor Source: Entertainment Weekly
117
  • Avatar: Gambling on Film's Future Source: Los Angeles Times
128
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
127
  • Tomatometer Watch: Will Twilight's New Moon Dazzle?
96
  • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
67
  • Five Favorite Films with Werner Herzog
50
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
45
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
34
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Star Trek, Bruno, and Cheaper Sopranos
32
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
28
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
8
  • Ho, ho, ho! It's RT's Great Big Gift Guide!
0
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
8
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
19
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
6
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
16
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
  • Emma Stone talks Zombieland - RT Interview
41
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Familiar Strangers at Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh Links

Featured
Star Trek DVD Exclusive
Star Trek DVD Exclusive External Link

TECHLAND gives us a first look at the extras, including Leonard Nimoy's last day on set!

The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon External Link

AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.

New Moon Portraits
New Moon Portraits External Link

TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

Unsexiest Men Alive
Unsexiest Men Alive External Link

Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.