People Like Us (2012)

A cynical salesman called Sam learns that one of his dubious deals has imploded into looming lawsuits, unemployment and debt, shortly before he's informed about the death of his prosperous estranged father. He returns to the family home too late for the funeral, and makes some grudging attempts to repair the strained relationship with his mother. A day or so later, Sam meets with the family lawyer to receive disappointing news about a meager inheritance, before being entrusted with a substantial cash bequest intended for his father's secret illegitimate daughter and her young son. Torn between keeping the money for himself and handing it over, Sam decides to become acquainted with his half sister without revealing their common parentage.

Unfortunately the opportunity to make something of this promising idea gradually slips away in a series of scenes that become increasingly trite and sentimental. Despite the efforts of a talented cast, minor misunderstandings are constantly being leveraged into artificial melodramas until the predictable moment of redemption finally arrives. It's all formulaic enough to turn one into a cynical salesman.

Fmovies: I honestly don't get why this movie has an average rating over a 7. OK, there are some good aspects to this film. The acting is solid, and...well I guess that's about it. The plot is very thin and the entire outline can be predicted in about 15 minutes. But the most annoying part of the film was the extremely sweet American way of trying to make the viewers feel good. They try so hard that it backfires and on me it had the exact opposite effect. Real shame, because the story, which is based on actual events, had potential. This artificially "feel-good" vibe hinders the viewer from identifying with the main characters, and decreases the reality level of the film. Which is of course strange to say the least as it is, as I already mentioned, inspired by actual events.

Nice to see Elizabeth Banks can recover from disaster unfunny What to expect, When your expecting. And Chris Pine from the cinematic blandness that is This Means War.

Sam(Chris Pine) a smooth talking salesman, who's last deal falls flat, then his girlfriend gives him the news that his father had died, this has a mixed reaction for Sam, cause he and his father have never gotten along. Sam goes to funeral, and sees his mother. Then meets with with lawyer, who gives a kit of 15 thousand dollars, but then sees a note that tells him to give it too Frankie(Elizabeth Banks)a recovering alcholic, and a single mother, and a waitress, trying to make ends meat. But discovers she is his half sister. How will this play out in the end?

Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks are beyond terrific with there performances, so was Olivia Wilde, not just playing the throw away love interest. Michelle Pfeiffer is also great as Pines mother. A well acted drama.

People Like Us fmovies. Now this is a movie that I thoroughly enjoyed watching. Movies like these proves that you don't need crude and obnoxious jokes with nudity and swearing for it to be good. This is an adult movie that approaches things in a touching and yet mature manner. The story in this is about Sam(Chris Pine) getting $150,000 dollars in cash after his fathers death who he loathed. But in his will he wants that money to go to Frankie(Elizabeth Banks) who is his half-sister that he didn't know about until he got his father's will. So he decides to go stalking Frankie and her son and soon chemistry starts to form between them, I guess it's awkward chemistry. Now Sam already has a girlfriend played by Olivia Wilde but the chemistry between Sam and Frankie is just so well written in this to the point I wanted to see more of it. And the fact that they are half-sibling makes things awkward and yet interesting to watch. Elizabeth Banks is still very hot and attractive, random but wanted to throw that in. This movie is mostly about understanding one another since everyone comes from different background no matter how close you are with them. This is a well written emotional drama that maybe predictable in some cases but it's well worth the watch for sure.

8.5/10

"People Like Us" has a fine cast, a fairly stimulating (yet safe) plot, and some heartfelt life lessons thrown in for good measure. The next paragraph contains a gentle spoiler about this films' themes.

A man (Pine) receives some bad news about his family. He needs to do the right thing, grow up, and bust through the defenses he has spent years hiding under. As he makes a reunion of sorts with family members, the plot unfolds. Each character deals with their own personal set of challenges.

I'll confess that I had hesitations about the casting. Pine is cute as-a-button, and I tend to be drawn to actors who are a bit rough around the edges. But I was wrong to doubt his abilities. He layered his role with some interesting nuances. His interactions with the Elizabeth Banks character were entertaining and fairly genuine. The young actor Michael Hall D'Addario was absolutely wonderful. Banks and Pfeiffer each turned in very sturdy performances. Wilde was also effective, but she needed more screen time.

Kudos to the director Alex Kurtzman for his reasonably light touch. It seems like he allowed the actors a long leash in developing their characterizations. This is no easy task, because Kurtzman also co-wrote the script.

The musical score had some strong moments, particularly when they highlighted classic rock tunes from decades ago. There were periodic sentimental tunes, which seemed a bit manipulative. And there was a beach scene which was a bit deflated, because it was so typically pretty. I wish this film would have taken more risks, and navigated through an even murkier emotional landscape.

At the end of the day, I would recommend this, and I look forward to seeing more films from Kurtzman. If you're still with me at this point, I beg your pardon. Uh, bartender... I'll have an extra dry martini with 2 olives, please.

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, 15-year-old Raven Devanney shares her review below:

Video review available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzovjcl38xw

People like us is a heartfelt drama about a man who's life takes a turn for the worst and in unsuspecting events leads him to a sister he never knew he had. This film was exceptional. It stars Elizabeth Banks, Chris Pine and Michelle Pfeiffer. People like us made me laugh, cry and feel every emotion in between. The visuals in this film were great and the acting was superb. My favorite character was Frankie played by Elizabeth Banks because her performance was so solid and she definitely carried the comedy of this film as well as the heavier emotions. My favorite part of this film is when Sam played by Chris Pine is getting to know Frankie and her young son because I enjoyed watching their bond grow.

It really bothered me that Sam wouldn't tell Frankie who he was until the end of the film because it just complicated their lives, but it gave the film a much needed twist. I recommend this film for ages 13 and up because of adult content and younger children may have a more difficult time fallowing along with the plot. Overall I give People like us 4 out of 5 stars.