People Like Us (2012)
Average Rating: 5.7/10
Reviews Counted: 110
Fresh: 61 | Rotten: 49
Though calculated and melodramatic, People Like Us benefits from a pair of solid leads and its rare screenplay that caters to adult filmgoers.
Average Rating: 5.5/10
Critic Reviews: 35
Fresh: 18 | Rotten: 17
Though calculated and melodramatic, People Like Us benefits from a pair of solid leads and its rare screenplay that caters to adult filmgoers.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 29,648
Movie Info
From DreamWorks Pictures comes People Like Us, a drama/comedy about family, inspired by true events, starring Chris Pine as Sam, a twenty-something, fast-talking salesman, whose latest deal collapses on the day he learns that his father has suddenly died. Against his wishes, Sam is called home, where he must put his father's estate in order and reconnect with his estranged family. In the course of fulfilling his father's last wishes, Sam uncovers a startling secret that turns his entire world
Watch It Now
Cast
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Chris Pine
Sam -
Elizabeth Banks
Frankie -
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Michelle Pfeiffer
Lillian -
Olivia Wilde
Hannah -
Mark Duplass
Ted -
Sara Mornell
Dr. Amanda -
Philip Baker Hall
Ike Rafferty -
Dean Chekvala
Mrs. Haney -
Barbara Eve Harris
Mrs. Haney -
David Burrus
Derek -
Joseph Wise
Danny -
Devin Brochu
Simon -
Gabriela Milla
Lucy -
Abhi Sinha
Manager -
Jon Favreau
Richards -
Rob Brownstein
Sales VP Ben -
Christiann Castellanos
Secretary -
Darren O'Hare
Telemarketer -
Maximilian Osinski
Telemarketer -
Leshay Tomlinson Boyce
Attendant -
Paul Sanchez
AA Group Leader -
Freddie Francis
AA Member -
Stephanie Bast
AA Member -
Shaughn Buchholz
AA Member -
Pippa Hinchley
AA Member -
David Kelsey
AA Member -
LeRoy Mobley
AA Member -
Nick Smoke
AA Member -
Amanda Young
AA Member -
Scott Weintraub
Teacher -
Aaron Farb
Lab Teacher -
Sonya Leslie
Nurse -
Alexander Leeb
German Guy -
Katherine Sigismund
Lillian's Friend -
Sheila Shaw
Lillian's Friend -
Katy Boyer
Lillian's Friend -
Peggy Lynn Moore
Waitress -
Liza Del Mundo
Receptionist -
Michael D. Parr
Sleazy Bar Patron -
Omar Vega
Taco Stand Worker -
Tara Inden
LAX Flight Attendant -
James Hosney
Minister -
Dave Zyler
70s Studio Tech -
Moosie Drier
70s Studio Tech -
Rif Hutton
70s Studio Tech -
Steve Alterman
70s Studio Tech -
Liza Richardson
CD Narrator
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People Like Us Trailer & Photos
All Critics (111) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (61) | Rotten (49)
It seems ridiculous to dance around plot details when the movie allows the audience to get ahead of the story and to stay there as events laboriously unfold.
Top CriticIt's encouraging to see a wielder of studio heft test his mettle with the all-too-human. In a season of superheroes and their nemeses, Kurtzman takes on characters hurting, hoping, trying to rise to the occasion of family.
People Like Us seems to have been devised for audiences who want to experience an entire year's worth of soap opera complications in a single sitting.
Some of the strongest writing in any movie so far this year.
A good payoff, but the middle drags.
What they've really done is stitch together a decade's worth of Katherine Heigl/Jennifer Aniston/Kate Hudson romantic comedies, and then cut out all the romance and most of the comedy.
Alex Kurtzman taps his family tree for enough sap to start a treacle factory.
( ... ) the cinematography offers domestic drama pleasures in its own right. Thank you for caring, Salvatore Totino (Cinderella Man / Any Given Sunday).
There's an intriguing true story buried inside this overly structured drama, and by playing by simplistic screenwriting rules the filmmakers make everything trite and predictable.
People like me who prefer subtlety just won't like People Like Us.
Kurtzman directs with a heavy hand and huge earnestness, but it boils down to trite platitudes about fatherhood and family.
Nothing Like Us would have been more accurate.
Chris Pine's alpha obnoxiousness, even when deliberate, goes a long way to render this prodigal-son drama unappetising.
Engaging, enjoyable and unabashedly sentimental drama, enlivened by a strong script and tremendous performances from a superb cast.
People like you may enjoy it.
The ending is not only clever, but it will have an emotional kick, too, in all but the hardest of hearts.
Banks makes a feisty soccer-mom, Wilde has nothing to do but look frostily on, and Pine smoulders pointlessly at everyone he meets, completely failing to suggest anything but complete vapidity.
No gimmicks, quirks or high-concept premise: this is one of those rare, quietly engaging films that is simply about ordinary people trying to relate to each other.
Fans of Pine's eyebrows will enjoy all the bushy furrowing, but otherwise, there are more important things to cry about.
Certain elements of the plot are uneven but a number of captivating performances and an intriguing premise elevate People Like Us above standard drama fare.
People Like Us is well-meaning and features good performances, but the story is a mess of contrivances and dumb narrative decisions that fail to hold any interest.
People Like Us wasn't made for me. If it was made for you, you'll probably like it, if you don't spend the entire running time waiting for two siblings to make out.
An affectionate drama marked and buoyed by engaging performances. The movie's apex of catharsis is a genuinely nice payoff, but the home stretch it takes to get there bends a bit too much toward convenience.
... rises above its Lifetime-channel trappings ...
Examines the costs of broken, fatherless relationships in subtle but direct ways. Yet it is not a downer of a movie, nor is it superficially cheery. A great cast helps.
Alex Kurtzman, in his directorial debut, delivers a compelling and emotional dramedy about a man who discovers he has a sister he knew nothing about.
Audience Reviews for People Like Us
Super Reviewer
I was completely blown away by this movie and by every single performance. If I were an Academy member and I saw this film I would immediately place the names Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks and Michelle Pfeiffer at the very top of my Oscar nominations lists. Honestly, everyone is just that good in these roles especially Banks. Hers is the best performance I've seen this year bar none. The movie itself is so wonderfully written and packs true emotional resonance. The plot may sound cliché but nothing is handled in a predictable or unreal fashion. Secrets are revealed and it sheds new life on family and the meaning of love. To paraphrase: what seems important now really isn't and what's may seem not important now really is... there's a lot to digest about this film. One thing's for sure, if you "lean in to it" and give this movie your time and undivided attention you will not be sorry that you saw it. 5 Stars 2-7-13
Super Reviewer
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- Frankie: He is survived by his wife and son. So it's official: I don't exist.
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- Sam: Most doors in the world are closed, so if you find one that you want to get into, you damn well better have an interesting knock.
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- Josh: I blew up a pool today. Carol was pissed. Now I have to go to kid therapy and play with blocks until I cry.
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- Frankie: The last thing I remember about my dad is the tail-lights as he drove away and I never thought what's wrong with him, I thought 'what's wrong with me that he would leave and never come back.' [paraphrased from memory]
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- Frankie: You lied about being in recovery. That is sacred.
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- Sam: Jim, that's my year!
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Fresh Links
Featured
Movie: ID: 771272346 Title: People Like Us Release Date: 2012-06-29 00:00:00.0 MPAA: 3 Status: 1
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Foreign Titles
- Zeit zu leben (DE)
- Así somos (ES)
I loved Pine and Banks together on screen. They flowed well together making is very easy to believe they had a close connection. I think Michael Hall did a great job in this. He held his own with these actors. I look forward to see how he does in future films.
The ending was really sweet. It couldn't have ended in an any better way.
It is a great family drama. I will definitely be seeing this again.