Often one movie’s premise will remind me of another’s, and such is the case with the unusual family drama People Like Us, in which someone discovers, upon the death of a parent, that he has a grown sibling, in this case a sister. This premise reminded me rather strongly of Rain Man, the 1988 classic in which Tom Cruise’s character learns that he has an autistic older brother, portrayed by Dustin Hoffman. This time, Chris Pine plays the same type of hustler character as Cruise did, only to find that his father actually had two families, and now he has a younger sister, played by Elizabeth Banks. The similarities pretty much end there, except for the drama of having the separated siblings get to know each other and gradually define their completely new relationship.
People Like Us, which was inspired by a true story, was written and directed by Alex Kurtzman (others also worked on the screenplay). Kurtzman takes the time to establish and develop his characters quite effectively, and the actors deliver really honest performances. I’ve liked Elizabeth Banks for a while, but I was not prepared for how good she is as a hot, hard-working mother who loves her adolescent boy (a very good Michael Hall D’Addario) yet isn’t able to communicate with him very well. Chris Pine is, likewise, excellent as a cynical guy who constantly looks for the easiest way through life and has deep problems with commitment. Michelle Pfeiffer, sans makeup, is Pine’s mother, who is the key to unlocking his past. Her role is perhaps underdeveloped, though it is essential to the story.
Because Pine’s character doesn’t identify himself to Banks’ character for so long, the film builds a tension that veers from sensible and realistic to frustrating (“Tell her already!,” I wanted to scream in the theater). The final act plays out by the numbers as he tells her, she reacts badly, the kid intervenes and they reconcile. This should not surprise anybody, and should not be considered a spoiler unless you have never before watched a movie. Of course it would play out this way; it’s a movie!
Notwithstanding the traditional, unsurprising climax, the power of this story lies in the journey to that point, and how well the actors persuade us of its reality, its ironies and its importance. I really enjoyed People Like Us and its handling of odd, awkward familial ties. It’s an uplifting film with a final sequence that goes a long way to understanding, and possibly absolving, the dead father of these two troubled people. It is a good movie, well worth seeing. ☆ ☆ ☆. 15 July 2012.