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• Critic rating
• Currently 2/5 Stars.

Movies.ie Critic Review

PEOPLE LIKE US (USA/12A/114mins)

Directed by Alex Kurtzman. Starring Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Wilde, Michael Hall D’Addario, Mark Duplass, Philip Baker Hall.

THE PLOT: With his job as a corporate barterer on the line after a deal goes wrong, Sam (Pine) has to deal with some more bad news when he learns that his father has passed away. Reluctantly leaving New York and heading to LA for the funeral, soon after he arrives, Sam’s late father’s lawyer hands him a shaving bag with $150,000 inside. It’s for one Josh Davis, and when Sam tracks him down, he soon realizes that the kid’s mum (Banks) is his half-sister…

THE VERDICT: The directorial debut of Star Trek co-writer Kurtzman has gone through a name-change (having initially labored under the awkward moniker of Welcome To People) and, you suspect, quite a few test screenings, the resulting film oozing bland pleasantness. Which is hardly the stuff of box-office dynamite.

After a short visit to the big screen in the US back in June, People Like Us is already out there on DVD. Where it’s being largely ignored by a whole new swathe of people. And it’s unlikely to spark any riots at multiplexes here either. Shame, because the usually-reliable Pine was plainly doing his director a favour here. RATING: 2/5

Review by P Byrne 

• Avg User rating
• Currently 3/5 Stars.

User Reviews

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  Marty hanratty

  

  Chris Pine is a smooth talking salesman right up until he has to go to his father's funeral. His relationships with his job,his girlfriend, his family are nothing compared to what he now has to look at in regards to his feelings for his father. Tension that has been on the screen since the opening scene intensifies, and never lessens until the final scene. What initially appears to be a simple legacy,becomes the catalyst for so much more !! Wonderful drama!!

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  hegothelips

  

  If its tone is considerably tougher than that of movies adapted from Nicholas Sparks novels, it is still a grown-up soap opera. And as the overly determined plot progresses, it feels increasingly Sparks-like, although there are no dewy young lovebirds to swoon over.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  Amandareid007

  

  It'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.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  Onionhead

  

  What initially appears to be a simple legacy,becomes the catalyst for so much more !! Wonderful drama

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  roberthughes23

  

  I saw this movie on the plane home from America recently and still am not sure how I felt about it. It is not bad and I enjoyed watching it but at the same time it was very predictable from the start and I wouldn't be recommending it to friends to rush out to the cinema to see it. Probably one to rent when there is not much else in the store.

• • Currently 3/5 Stars.

  filmbuff2011

  

  If you were to take the story of Luke and Leia Skywalker, remove the Sci-Fi elements, transfer it to the present day, and put some Hollywood magic dust on it - well, you'd end up with People Like Us. Sam (Chris Pine) never had a close relationship with his father. When his father dies and he finds himself back in the family home, he tries to re-connect with his bitter mother (Michelle Pfeiffer). To his surprise, Sam finds out that he has a half-sister, Frankie (Elizabeth Banks). Unknown to his mother, he tracks Frankie down but withholds the key information from her. As he gets closer to her and her son, things become complicated... Featuring an impossibly photogenic cast, there's no mistaking this for another Secrets And Lies. It's glossy, it's shallow at times and sometimes you wish the characters would be more three dimensional. But yet there's a lot of good in this film, mostly due to the good performances and the heartfelt subject matter. Pine shows his range, breaking away from his usual action roles and Pfeiffer is as good as she's ever been. Not a must-see film but certainly worth a look on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  eliza64

  

  A film about growing up.I reallty enjoyed this film. It has echos in my own life as I only found my sisters after my mother had passed away. The story develops slowly giving us time to get to know all the characters and like them too.Thanks to Woman's Way and Harvey Nichols for the tickets.

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  TheSpecs

  

  The whole time I was thinking DON'T YOU SEE THAT SHE'S FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU?? *facepalm* Other than that I think the movie didn't really know what it wanted to be. Sometimes it was a bit funny, sometimes it was sad, sometimes it was dramatic, sometimes it was artsy... It was all over the place. It wasn't bad enough to be 1 star but it was pretty bad.

• • Currently 4/5 Stars.

  goldfish

  

  Really enjoyed this. Had no expectations but some great performances and a very real script and different love story really made this an enjoyable night out. Michelle Pfeiffer has one of her best performances in a long time balancing the dippsy ex groupee character with the devoted mother and wife and experienced woman of the world. Chris Pine pulls off the transformation from the arrogant and somewhat obnoxious commodity dealer to the caring uncle, brother and son. Well worth a trip out to the cinema to warm your heart on these cold evenings.

• • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  mart

  

  If its tone is considerably tougher than that of movies adapted from Nicholas Sparks novels, it is still a grown-up soap opera. And as the overly determined plot progresses, it feels increasingly Sparks-like, although there are no dewy young lovebirds to swoon over.

• • Currently 5/5 Stars.

  JKGT

  

  Very good story really enjoyed it, mostly liked the way it wasn't too predictable... Love a good ending..Chris Pine wouldn't have been one of my favourite actors but he plays the part well in this one.. I'd highly recommend this one!!!