Alex Kurtzman’s directorial debut stars Chris Pine as Sam, a corporate buyer being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission. When his father dies, Sam is unaffected until he discovers that the music producer had an illegitimate daughter. Sam befriends his half-sister and her eleven year old son but keeps his true identity a secret, leading to misunderstandings and screaming matches.
People Like Us is predictable and sometimes boring. The film’s plot would probably be better suited to a TV soap, and its talented actors are wasted on such a generic script. Such a formulaic storyline should have something else going for it, like a twist ending or even some comedy, but People Like Us is completely flat from beginning to end.
However, the film is redeemed by its brilliant cast. Although the characters are written unimaginatively, the actors add depth to otherwise one-dimensional roles. Michelle Pfieffer plays Sam’s grieving mother with the right amount vulnerability to counteract her steely exterior and Elizabeth Banks is tough enough to prevent Frankie from being merely a damsel in distress.
Overall, People Like Us is definitely not a must-see. I managed to guess the entire plot from the trailer alone and, while its all-star cast makes it watchable, it’s so generic that there is nothing in this film which you won’t have seen a million times.
2/5 stars