People Like Us (2012)

Best movie ever!

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

I wanted to turn this off, but considering it was 10pm on a Sunday night and I had work tomorrow, I decided I was too deep to look for another movie and chose to tough it out. My main gripe, none of these characters are likable. In fact, most of them I found myself hating. Chris Pine is a wannabe hotshot selfish asshole douche and it's hard to invest any interest in him. The kid is a smart mouthed little shit, who if he was my kid, would NEVER talk to me the way he does to strangers and especially his own mother. The plot is not that complex yet it drags on and on, you just want it to be over already. I'm honestly shocked at how many people gave this film a good score and actually wrote glowing reviews about it. Maybe I don't get it, but I guess I'm glad about that.

3/23/18. Yay! Finally, a dysfunctional family you can love! I was truly surprised that I enjoyed this movie so much! Pine is Sam, and he is one messed up dude who has a girlfriend (Wilde) who has almost given up on him for being selfish and self-serving. He learns, after his father died, that he actually has a half sister, who has a son. He reaches out, but in a very roundabout way, to learn more about Frankie (Banks). Eventually they must come to terms that they are family. Definitely catch this. Pine shows his acting chops in this one, and Banks is wonderful as well as the rest of the supporting cast.

I think the domestic violence in this movie completely overshadows any positive content. Both the mother and half sister of the main character, Sam, perpetrated domestic violence in an alarming manner. Upon becoming angry with Sam, the two female characters struck him rapidly, multiple times. It's not okay, even if women are the perpetrators. The danger of making light of such behavior in a movie is many viewers may think it is a social norm. People may think that such acts are domestic violence only when committed by men. Violence breeds violence. I would not have given the movie such a low rating if in some way it sent a message saying the acts were not socially acceptable.

A film that perhaps was overlooked by many, People Like Us is a great movie that has its mixture of moving and humorous moments, all entwined with wonderful imagery and a dense musical score. It's a film detailing the trials and tribulations of a fractured family life and how perhaps everyone has a "skeleton in the closet" as the saying goes. And as it's inspired by true events on behalf of the director Alex Kurtzman, he shows the viewer the emotional aspects of broken families and strained relationships with admirable tenacity; it makes you wonder what goes on behind closed doors.The performances in this film were second to none, with Elizabeth Banks the stand out in my mind. Banks delivers an alert and moving execution of her role as Frankie, and she shares a wonderful chemistry with Chris Pine, who also proves he is more than just a pretty face. While Pine's character of Sam may at first appear to be a bit pompous and big headed, Pine is able to show how he actually is not so bad after all; the touching moments he shares with (still stunning) mom Michelle Pfeiffer, the eventual truth regarding his true relationship with Frankie, as well as the conclusion to the film prove this.People Like Us is simply a movie that packs a huge emotional punch about love and how life is not always as simple as it could be. We do make mistakes after all; but when those mistakes cause pain and suffering to those around us, it's time to take a step back and re-evaluate that life, and that is what makes People Like Us one of those films that instantly touches you. 9/10