People Like Us

Plot synopsis:
Sam Harper (Chris Pine), a struggling corporate trader in New York City, is in trouble after one of his deals violates federal law and the Federal Trade Commission threatens him with an investigation. Sam's boss (Jon Favreau) urges him to bribe federal officials, at Sam's own expense. Returning home, Sam learns from his girlfriend Hannah (Olivia Wilde) that Jerry, his estranged father, has died in L.A. of cancer. Sam tries to avoid attending the funeral, but Hannah insists on making arrangements. After flying home to L.A., he stays with Hannah at Jerry's house and has a tense reunion with his mother Lillian (Michelle Pfeiffer).
Sam meets with his father's lawyer and friend (Philip Baker Hall), who tells him that the will leaves Sam no money. However, the lawyer hands him a shaving kit. Inside is $150,000 in cash and a note stipulating that the money be delivered to "Josh Davis."
Josh (Michael Hall D'Addario) turns out to be a troubled 11-year-old whose single mother, Frankie Davis (Elizabeth Banks), is a recovering alcoholic and bartender. Sam secretly follows Frankie to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, where she reveals to the group that she is Jerry's illegitimate daughter. Sam realizes that Frankie is his paternal half-sister, and Josh his nephew. Sam tells Hannah the news, and his intention of keeping the money for himself. This disgusts her, and she returns to New York, leaving Sam with Lillian.
Sam introduces himself to Frankie as a fellow alcoholic visiting from New York, and soon becomes involved in their life, giving encouragement and social advice to Josh, and getting closer to Frankie. He learns that Jerry visited Frankie and her mother on Sundays, and that Frankie has never met her father's "real" wife and son. Growing close to Frankie and Josh, Sam broods over what to do about the phone calls from federal officials warning him of his deepening legal trouble. Frankie tells him that she does not want him around Josh because she fears he will leave the boy and return to New York. Sam decides to leave, but returns to pick up Josh from school. He receives a phone call from Frankie at the airport, telling him Josh has been in a fight.
One night, after watching Sam put Josh to bed, Frankie embraces Sam and tells him to stay. Sam reveals his true situation, and Frankie explodes in anger, throwing him out of the apartment. Later Lillian is hospitalized following a heart condition, and in the waiting room, Hannah finds Sam, and they reconcile. Hannah tells Sam that she has enrolled into UCLA's law program to remain close to him after realizing that he now wants to be with his family. Meanwhile, Frankie receives Jerry's money through a lawyer. She uses the money to enroll at school and move into a suburban neighborhood with Josh. She quits her job and cuts contact with Sam.
After she returns from the hospital, Lillian tells Sam that she made Jerry choose their family over Frankie and her mother. She thought she was protecting Sam, but instead Jerry rejected Sam because Sam reminded him of the daughter he abandoned. One day, Josh, who is having difficulty adjusting to life without Sam, tries to find him after finding Lillian's address, and through his step-grandmother relays his home address to Sam.
When Sam visits Frankie, she is angry. He asks for forgiveness and for a chance to be her brother, and Josh's uncle and father figure. He shows her an old film reel Jerry shot of a young Sam at a playground. In the film, a girl joins Sam, and Frankie realizes that Jerry had regularly brought her and Sam to play together and thus loved both his children. At this recognition, Frankie accepts Sam as her brother.

Tags: dramatic

Review:
It proves that in life a family always have life altering choices to make.The story which was inspired by true events has Sam(Chris Pine)a grown salesman who one day with his love Hannah(Olivia Wilde)gets a call in New York and the news is bad his record producer dad who he hasn't seen in years has just passed away on the west coast in L.A. Also Sam's mother Lillian(Michelle Pfeiffer)has fallen ill with a heart condition, so he takes a trip to California to have his life turned upside down.Soon Sam will have revealed that his father had a hidden past life this was in the form of another sibling it's a half sister in Frankie(the sexy Elizabeth Banks).
And Sam has dropped everything after the connection so he can start anew with his true love Hannah.Overall good film of finding out hidden special secrets, it proves love last with family as a new connection that was once secret starts a better life for all.
Chris Pine as Sam shows he's much more than just a pretty face, but the true scene stealer is Michael Hall D'Addario who plays Josh, the bad-boy son of Elizabeth Banks' character, Frankie.
Film Critic, 15-year-old Raven Devanney shares her review below: Video review available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzovjcl38xwPeople 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.
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.
The dialogue is smart (written by director Alex Kurtzman with Roberto Orci and Jody Lambert), the pacing is fast and furious at first but as the film lingers it slows to a slow dance that makes the whole plot come together, and the cast is uniformly excellent.Sam (Chris Pine, who continues to grow as an actor) is a fast talking salesman whose antics have resulted in some financial disasters that have placed his life in the panic mode.
The remainder of the film is the working out of the secrets and truths that Sam and Frankie are brother and sister and the aspect that binds them is Sam's concern for Josh and for Frankie's future.Yes, there are errors within the film's script that confuse matters, but in the end the performances by Pine, Banks, Pfeiffer and D'Addario are so fine that little else matters.
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.
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.
This movie forces its audience to reflect on the "what if" it was me having to make these decisions, what would I do.Taking ordinary but important human relationship material and shifting the focus to mother-son and brother and sister focus, with a romantic side and even uncle-nephew story, the movie offers a new look at relationships, the complexity of real life scenarios and how people have to deal with such tragedies and redemption.
"People Like Us" continues the important relational genre with such meaningful movies such as "Something to Talk About" (1995) about a wife dealing with her husband's affair; "Valentine's Day (2010) an attempt to offer a variety of relational realities; "The Perfect Man" that focuses on a mother-daughter relationship; The Pursuit of Happiness (2006) involving a father-son relationship facing economic poverty; Margot at the Wedding (2007) a more independent version of examining a dysfunctional family as a whole.
Incest was in the air ...Also, OK, I know it is a movie - though based on true events - but I don't think anyone would choose to help a kid in school when his mother is on the way ( and plus nothing of a big deal happened) to help him when on the other hand you have several people hanging above your head with : You will go to prison messages.The reason for his girlfriend's leaving was lame.
I'm somewhat estranged from a lot of my family, aside from my Dad. I may not have had no contact with my sister like Sam (Chris Pine) does in this movie, but I was easily able to feel sympathy for him.
Chris Pine( Unstoppable)as Sam is terrific as a brother who finds out that he has a sister Frankie( Elizabeth Banks scrubs, what to expect when you are expecting, next 3 days)after the death of his father Jerry whom he dislikes for not showing any interest in being his father.
Josh (Michael Hall) has the sweetness in his voice and longing for love and friendship from the good looking Sam. Banks and Chris Pine were excellent and Hall was terrific as the kid who gets into trouble when left alone.
People Like UsNot knowing you have a sister until you're a man means you don't have much time to crash her slumber parties.And while this drama isn't about raiding a grown woman's bedroom at night, it is about earth-shattering revelations.It is not until his father dies that Sam (Chris Pine) learns he has a sister Frankie (Elizabeth Banks).Bequeathed with $150,000 and tasked with presenting the windfall to his sibling's son Josh (Michael Hall D'Addario), Sam leaves his girlfriend (Olivia Wilde) to stalk his sister.Overtime he's welcomed into their lives as a friend, but when Frankie learns he is her brother, she implodes.Making the story all about the secret and dragging out its declaration until the obligatory separation/reconciliation, People Like Us is insubstantial.Besides, the only way to tell if a stranger is your brother is to have a baby with them and see if it looks weird.
Now the problem lies that the whole charming thing with Frankie and her son is like any young guy trying to vow a woman and her son and when Frankie (Elizabeth Banks) falls for Sam (Chris Pine) without knowing that he is her step-brother makes the whole concept incest.
But I suppose an actor relishes the challenge of not being stereotyped into a role, and beyond the pretty boy looks, People Like Us provides an avenue to demonstrate if he has some acting chops, or not.Chris Pine plays Sam, a barter trade facilitator who, through a series of aggressive deals, finds himself in hot soup when external factors start to throw a spanner into his well oiled operations, and finds himself wanted by the authorities to answer to some dubious dealings, as well as his customers being none too happy about his non delivery on his professional promises.
So therein lies the dilemma, whether to be selfish and go against his conscience to embezzle the money, needing it to save his own skin, and since no one's there to check on him, or to do what's right and pass it on.Curiosity got the better of Sam, and as he turns stalker into the lives of Frankie (Elizabeth Banks) and her oft bullied son Josh (Michael Hall D'Addario) who is the de facto misfit in school.
Contact soon gets made, and with his best of intentions to keep his real identity and relations to Frankie and Josh a secret, this blows up quite unexpectedly, bordering on the cusp of near incest as Frankie's emotions start to get the better of her, since she's probably on the lookout for a father figure for her son, which now comes in the form of Sam. It's a little bit morbid to think of it, but I suppose dramas like these love to stretch some limits, especially when secrets got harboured on one side only.So can Chris Pine do drama?
Elizabeth Banks seem to picking up a lot more bit roles of late, and this one didn't have her do much except to slowly open up in the wrong way, while Michael Hall D'Addario becomes the scene stealer with his rage against the entire world attitude.Having the likes of Olivia Wilde and Michelle Pfeiffer in small supporting roles didn't detract from the film's main intent to examine the building of ties between Sam, Frankie and Josh, and it surely goes well to say that blood will almost always run thicker than water.
Olivia Wilde does a decent job herself and so does Michelle Pfeiffer, but their performances did not strike me as stunning in any way.All in all, Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks did this movie a lot of justice and it is a very good film indeed, but it just didn't do it for me, at least not as much as I had hoped it would...maybe it's just me, but by all means, go ahead and see it for yourself; you will not regret giving up two hours of your day to see it.
"People Like Us" tells the story of Sam Harper, a fast-talking, down-on-his-luck corporate barterer, portrayed by Chris Pine, who is told the sad news that his father just recently passed away.
He also finds a note that tells him to give this money to a young 11-year-old boy named Josh, the son of an ex-alcoholic bartender of a single mom, Frankie, played by Elizabeth Banks.
Although, I ended up being underwhelmed by the film, it wasn't the fault of marvelous performances by Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Wilde, and Michael Hall D'Addario as 11 year old Josh.
Well Meaning, Well Acted and Well, just kind of Mediocre and the Ending is a Contrived Piece of Feel Goodness that is Flat and Hardly Believable.Interactions among the Players is a bit Stiff and Relationships both Known and Unknown are Strained and there is Another of those "Intelligent Beyond Years", Annoying Kids Tugging Away at the Heartstrings and Here it just doesn't Work, but not for Lack of Trying.Worth a Watch for those Wanting something a bit Different in the Hollywood Family Film Factory, but the Story is as Thin as the Credulity of it All and it Works more on an Empty Emotional Level than Anything Resembling a Life-Affirming-Changing Picture that these Things at Best can Offer..
time flied and the movie ended and i felt captured, this one really dragged me in it and for this i will not mourn those two hours i spent watching this.The script, story, development were great, it developed slowly but beautifully, the dialog was good, the performance by the cast was exceptional.But the plot was a little bit thin, and it was predictable (very) in the last 15 minutes, so this why one star is missing here.But overall i'm glad it didn't turn into a rom-com because it would have plain stupid..
With a cast that includes Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, and Michelle Pfeiffer, one knows this movie will be quite a compelling watch.
What seems to be a start for a comedy, slowly but surely descents into a full-blown drama of epic propositions (I am mean this in a good way, believe me).The movie has some cliché moments as I am sure everyone has them by now but it truly excels creating original dialogs in every corner with fabulous acting of all parts involved.What truly excels in this one is the way the script is played through the movie, masterfully should I add, from one moment to the other, there is little manipulation and truly a lot of heart poured into each scene that lead us to connect with every character in story.From the role of mother, played beautifully by Michelle Pfeiffer (my gosh , this woman is gorgeous !) to the very well played role of the 'sister' by Elizabeth Banks and the lead actor Chris Pyne, there is no week role or miscast here, this is truly a work of someone who really does know how to create a compelling drama.If you care about a deep story, brilliantly executed script, characters well developed and an ending truly inspiring then you must go see this one.People like us has a deep understanding of the human drama about life and the choices we make, it make us feel connected to our own reality dramas and how we solve them, the movie really excels in they way it makes us feel like the characters in this movie.
If you can feel your own memories and your own life flowing through you after watching this movie, then you know this is good stuff.People like us deserves no less than an 8 and a serious recommendation as one of the best dramas of 2012..
Michelle Pfeiffer has a couple of powerful scenes and damn she's beautiful, does this woman never age?Chris Pine's character is nothing new, a twenty-something, fast-talking, self absorbed salesman (although in all fairness he wasn't terrible he just wasn't all that interesting.) The movie revolves around his character Sam, whose latest deal collapses on the day he learns that his father has suddenly died.
'PEOPLE LIKE US': Four Stars (Out of Five)Film writer/producer Alex Krutzman makes his feature film directorial debut with this touching family drama about a down on his luck salesman who discovers he has a sister, he never knew, after his father, he came to hate, passes away.
I think it underperformed with critics and at the box office (and was undersold as well) because Chris Pine is not a well known enough leading man (yet) and the movie focuses on the relationship between an adult brother and sister (rather than tell a love story) but that's why it's so good.
Once home Sam discovers that his father has left him with a task: He must find a woman named Frankie (Elizabeth Banks) and give her and her son Ted (Michael Hall D'Addario) 150,000 dollars and look out for them.
Reuniting with his estranged mother Lillian becomes challenging enough, but Sam also discovers that his father left him $150,000 in his shaving kit.The catch is that it comes with instructions to deliver the cash to an 11-year-old named Josh, who happens to be the son of Frankie, a half- sister he didn't know he had.
As the precocious Josh, Michael Hall D'Addario is given lines only an 11-year-old in a mainstream movie would speak, but he is such a likable young actor that he manages to come across as authentic.Olivia Wilde has a thankless role as Sam's put-upon girlfriend Hannah, but she provides more depth than the plot device she represents, while indie mainstay Mark Duplass ("Humpday") seems to be showing up everywhere these days, this time as Frankie's conveniently available downstairs neighbor.
"Typical drama ensues when we see such as actors as Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks and Michelle Pfeiffer doing some good work in the film that hits most of the notes that a film with type of film would hit" A film with this type of plot would most of the time be something made fun of by being called a lifetime movie but this film is not as bad those type of films and actually makes you care about the characters.
The story essentially revolves around Sam (Chris pine) who learns his father has died and left him a shaving case filled with money to give to his half sister, Frankie (elizabeth banks) that he never knew existed.
A movie about the hazards of not identifying oneself immediately — which ultimately causes more problems than it solves — but exhibits absolutely no tension, interest or empathy for any of the characters involved.Directed by Alex Kurtzman (in his film debut, although he did helm a season of the "Alias" TV series) and starring Chris Pine ("Unstoppable"), Elizabeth Banks ("What To Expect When You're Expecting") and Michelle Pfeiffer ("New Year's Eve"), the plot concerning a long-lost family member is unbelievably contrived and ridiculous In fact, while a story of mistaken identity holds a lot of promise, from Shakespearean drama to standard sitcom fare, here, though, none of that potential is realized.
This is a film about siblings- a brother and a sister, only she doesn't know they are related.Now that I have seen the film, I'm sorry to tell you that this ick factor apparently wasn't unintentional- seems the entire plot hinges on Sam (Chris Pine) not revealing to Frankie (Elizabeth Banks) that he is her half-brother.
Instead we spend fully half the movie in standard rom com mode, with Sam meeting and charming not only Frankie but her young son Josh (Michael Hall D'Addario) too.The film is written by director Alex Kurtzman and writing partner Roberto Orci- better known for their work on Transformers, Cowboys vs.
His mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) is cold and distant.Sam's father was a record producer who had a daughter, Frankie (Elizabeth Banks) from another relationship.
PEOPLE LIKE US (2012) *** Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Hall D'Addario, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, Sara Mornell, Philip Baker Hall.