Unbilled_Role
Joined Feb 2010
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Unbilled_Role's rating
"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.
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.
A significant number of fellow reviewers have been disgruntled, and I must agree: all the CGI in the world does-not-a-good-film-make. Trust me, I do not enjoy giving out such a low rating.
In contrast, Roger Ebert described this film as "magnificent". Perhaps he benefited from an alien-induced iv drip that many of us common folk are not privy to.
This film was short on character development, and the story lapsed into silly, unsubstantial blather. I found myself chuckling at some of the more absurd moments, where comedy was clearly not intended.
I should have followed my instincts early into the film, and walked out, which I very rarely do. What was my first moment of realized-dread? When I was convinced that I had no investment in most of the characters, and no curiosity about their histories. This movie had several gruesome moments, but that in itself does not elevate the film's quality.
I knew something was off when I felt more sincere enthusiasm towards David, the soulless robot, as compared to the humans. I feel that this was a compromised choice for Theron. She appeared cool-as-a-rotten-cucumber, which is fine, but the seeds were sadly missing. What a waste of her fine skills! An actor can only do so much with shoddy writing.
I gave this 2 stars, because aside from Fassbender's lovely work, the production design was quite impressive.
Last but not least, when I peered into the darkened theater, I noticed what appeared to be several alien beings, a few seats over. They had no need for the 3D glasses. Biding their time, the aliens gleefully tossed Milk Duds towards the screen. Whenever they fluttered their silvery eyelashes, a discordant hum reverberated, and the fibers of the velvet seat cushions trembled. Approximately 10 minutes into the film, the human couple who sat next to the aliens simply vaporized, yet their scorched kernels of popcorn frenetically rotated overhead. Like I said, this film had some early warning signs.
In contrast, Roger Ebert described this film as "magnificent". Perhaps he benefited from an alien-induced iv drip that many of us common folk are not privy to.
This film was short on character development, and the story lapsed into silly, unsubstantial blather. I found myself chuckling at some of the more absurd moments, where comedy was clearly not intended.
I should have followed my instincts early into the film, and walked out, which I very rarely do. What was my first moment of realized-dread? When I was convinced that I had no investment in most of the characters, and no curiosity about their histories. This movie had several gruesome moments, but that in itself does not elevate the film's quality.
I knew something was off when I felt more sincere enthusiasm towards David, the soulless robot, as compared to the humans. I feel that this was a compromised choice for Theron. She appeared cool-as-a-rotten-cucumber, which is fine, but the seeds were sadly missing. What a waste of her fine skills! An actor can only do so much with shoddy writing.
I gave this 2 stars, because aside from Fassbender's lovely work, the production design was quite impressive.
Last but not least, when I peered into the darkened theater, I noticed what appeared to be several alien beings, a few seats over. They had no need for the 3D glasses. Biding their time, the aliens gleefully tossed Milk Duds towards the screen. Whenever they fluttered their silvery eyelashes, a discordant hum reverberated, and the fibers of the velvet seat cushions trembled. Approximately 10 minutes into the film, the human couple who sat next to the aliens simply vaporized, yet their scorched kernels of popcorn frenetically rotated overhead. Like I said, this film had some early warning signs.