An Exercise in the Strength of Casting: Our Review of "People Like Us" (2012)

Directed By: Alex Kurtzman

Starring: Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia Wilde

Rating: PG-13 for language, some drug use and brief sexuality

Synopsis: Sam Harper (Pine) is in debt after a major mistake he makes at work, and when his estranged father dies back in L.A., he reluctantly returns home. It’s there that his father’s lawyer gives him $150,000 – but tells him to give it to a woman named Frankie Davis (Banks) and her son. Sam soon discovers Frankie is his half-sister that he never knew about and has to make a choice: does he give her the money or use it to get himself out of debt?

REVIEW

Andrew: Hello readers! Last night Sarah and I made the dangerous journey to the movie theatre on a Friday night, made it through the throngs of women who were there to see Magic Mike, and we slipped into a smaller theatre to see this weekend’s new Chris Pine/Elizabeth Banks drama People Like Us.

Sarah, we talked about this in our weekly preview on Thursday and were both looking forward to it. I didn’t know a whole lot about the movie up until a week ago, but you had. So what are your thoughts after a night of sleeping on it?

Sarah: Well I had seen trailers for it for a while now and I would have to say that I enjoyed it. It was very heartwarming, which is what I expected. It tugged on the heartstrings, and although it was a semi-predictable premise once you got into the movie, it was still good! I enjoyed it! What did you think?

A: I really enjoyed it! Yes it’s a bit predictable at times, which I don’t think is a bad thing because it’s a relatively simple premise, but I look at it kind of like Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, where you can kind of see what’s going to happen coming, but it’s HOW they get there and how the actors do. And I think the strength of People Like Us, bar none, are the two leads, Chris Pine (Star Trek) and Elizabeth Banks (What to Expect When You’re Expecting).

I totally bought them as half-siblings and they’re both so charismatic…

The charisma and likability of Elizabeth Banks and Chris Pine are the strength of People Like Us

S: And they had such great on-screen chemistry! And that’s point I want to make: this was a powerhouse cast. Everybody gave such amazing performances, even Olivia Wilde (Cowboys & Aliens), who is a minor character in the grand scheme of things. For being a pretty A-list actress, she took her role for what it was and did a great job. Michelle Pfeiffer is killing it these days now that she’s playing older roles, great roles that really fit her well.

And then this new kid comes along, Michael Hall D’Addario, who plays Frankie’s son, Josh, and he just does an amazing job. He was actually probably my favorite character. He did such a fantastic job, this young kid…

A: He reminded me of Jonah Bobo as Robbie in Crazy, Stupid, Love.

S: Yes, a lot like him.

A: The acting was phenomenal really, and the casting choices were even better I think. Pfeiffer, I totally bought her as being able to be Chris Pine’s mother. I think the eyes had a lot to do with it, all three of the leads have very blue eyes. But just the subtleties they play…like Pine’s Sam is really kind of a selfish jerk for half the movie. There are a lot of things about him early on that make him an unlikable character, but Pine is just so earnest and inherently likable that you can’t help but like Sam despite the mistakes he makes. You just go, “C’mon, man, just do the right thing!” You really just want him to succeed, make the right choice and tell Frankie the truth.

S: But at the same time the characters were so well developed… I didn’t really think Sam was such a jerk. I kind of knew the premise and you have to imagine things…neither one of these kids grew up with a father. The guy probably did the best that he knew how but just wasn’t cut out for the whole fatherhood thing. And so both of his kids suffered for it in very different ways, yet ended up pretty similar. They had great chemistry as a brother/sister couple and you could tell that they could grow to love each other as a family.

Then you have Pfeiffer’s character, who really had to live with the knowledge that her husband was unfaithful and had another family. You have to imagine the toll that would take on people. So it was just very interesting and impressive for an ensemble cast like this to pull it off.

A: Can I just point out real quick that Chris Pine is quickly becoming one of my favorite actors in Hollywood? He just has that charisma you look for in a leading man and there are very few new ones nowadays. He’s perfect as Captain Kirk in the new Star Trek films, I liked him in This Means War, and I liked him in this.

Anywho….a criticism I could see some people having with this movie, and it’s not one I have of it personally, is that it takes Sam such a long time to finally tell Frankie what’s really going on. But that Frankie and her son just accept Sam, this stranger that appears out of nowhere and kind of works his way into their lives, and they hang out…

S: Yeah, they accept him pretty quickly, don’t they?

We thought this trio right here (Pine, Banks and D'Addario) made a very believable and cute family

A: That’s the one thing I think some people might go, “That’s unrealistic.” I didn’t have a problem with it. I can see how some people might, but I think it goes to the strength of the writing and the actors that you bought that these two individuals needed each other and that there’s a sort of destiny that they needed to do this. They just made a cute, believable family unit.

It’s a bit of a tearjerker, it got to me a little bit because it hit a little close to home.

S: It was about halfway through the movie where I figured it might hit close to home with you.

A: And I knew it would.

S: I wasn’t prepared for that.

A: Well when I first saw the trailer and saw what the real premise is, I knew it would. So it hit a little close to me, but even if it weren’t for that, I still think this is a very good movie. If anything, see it because of Pine, Banks and Pfeiffer. They all knocked it out of the park.

S: It truly is a great cast.

A: And it’s a good directorial debut by Alex Kurtzman. I was looking forward to how he would do with this. I liked the way he used Los Angeles, he didn’t use it in a flashy “Hollywood” sort of way, he used it in more of a warm, West Coast way.

S: It felt a lot more like a small-town feel to me, which is different for a L.A. movie. Like, you didn’t feel like you were in this ginormous city. It felt intimate in a city that has millions of people in it.

A: And that’s a totally different take and I enjoyed that. I definitely look forward to more directing jobs by Kurtzman. So what’s our final grade?

S: I don’t think you need to see it in theatres. It would make a nice matinee, but you can wait to Netflix it. That said, this might be one that ends up on our shelf!

(Out of Five Clapboards)

Photo Courtesies: JoBlo, Hollywood Reporter, Talking With Tami

A Classic Soap Sharpens It Teeth: Our Review of "Dark Shadows" (2012)

Directed By: Tim Burton

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Chloe Grace Moretz

Rating: PG-13 for comic horror violence, sexual content, some drug use, language and smoking

Synopsis: In the 1770s, young Barnabas Collins (Depp), the heir of a wealthy New England fishing company, breaks a witch's heart (Green). In turn the witch kills Barnabas' love, Josette, turns him into a vampire and locks him away in a coffin. 200 years later Barnabas is released and finds that his family estate is in shambles thanks to the same witch. He then makes it his mission to restore his family to it's former glory, defeat the witch, and maybe even fall in love with the family's governess, Victoria, who looks eerily similar to his former lover.

REVIEW

Andrew: Hello readers! It’s a new movie Friday, as Sarah and I ran to the theatres late this afternoon to see the newest film from one of our favorite actors, Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean), in Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows!

Sarah, Dark Shadows is the EIGHTH collaboration between Depp and Burton, and there have been a lot of mixed reviews of their most recent ones, most saying that the two need to probably take a break creatively. After seeing their latest film, what do you have to say about those critics?

Sarah: My feelings are a little mixed on it. Whereas I believe that their creative well is starting to run a little dry, I think that what they do is very THEM. When you go to a Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movie, to expect anything other than that would be an unfair expectation.

Whether or not that’s a good thing is debatable. As a director or actor you want to continually expand your craft , but these two seem pretty content sticking with what they know.

A: So then applying that to Dark Shadows, and especially after Alice in Wonderland, is this one film too many? Or did you enjoy the movie for what it was?

S: I enjoyed the movie for what it was! Even though they all seem to kind of fall along the same lines – not a ton of creative differences in their movies – it was still entertaining. It's definitely campy, but in my belief, that’s what they do, especially with movies like Dark Shadows and Alice in Wonderland. These movies are purely for entertainment, they’re not made necessarily to make you think.

I would actually argue that Burton and Depp are two of the last filmmakers that don’t have a ton of an agenda.

A: I agree with you, Dark Shadows was very entertaining and it was the kind of movie where you go to the theatre to BE entertained and escape the real world. Like many of Burton and Depp’s collaborations, it’s fantastical movie and it’s one where you can tell the people involved had a lot of fun making it.

Now let’s talk specifics: what about the movie was so entertaining, or what did you enjoy the most?

S: Well it was Johnny Depp playing Johnny Depp at his finest.

A: So you don’t see it as a criticism to say that he was basically playing himself or a variation of a character that he’s played before?

S: We have routinely berated other actors for playing themselves (see: our review of Safe) but with Johnny it’s different. It could be because I would drop you in a second if he came to our door, or it could be that I don’t feel like he takes himself too seriously. Again, going back to that they create their film for entertainment.

A: Ok, so back to what you were saying about the movie…

S: It’s a funny movie! Now, not knowing much at all about the storyline it was kind of nice. I didn’t feel like I needed to compare it to anything that came previously. The cast, as we predicted, worked perfectly. And while it was a very strange movie, I had fun!

What about you? What do you think?

A: Obviously I’m going to be a little biased because Johnny’s my boy, but I honestly thought this was a very solid movie. It was funny a lot of times (some great, quick comments including one about Chloe Grace Moretz's (Let Me In) Carolyn), it had a lot of horror film elements in it that I loved, and while it was a little all over the place at times, I feel that this movie isn’t as bad as the trailers, commercials or other reviews I’ve read have made it out to be.

Yes, Johnny is basically playing a character he’s played before in other films (but this time he’s a vampire from the 1700s!), but I don’t see that as a drawback. People go to Johnny Depp movies BECAUSE of characters like this – why else would Alice in Wonderland make over a billion dollars worldwide?

S: I would agree with you. You know what kind of character you’re going to get, and true fans will go see this movie not for the story but to see him. That all being said, while I did love the elements of horror, it makes you jumpy without ever actually expecting horror, I do believe that the storyline was a little weak. I understand that there were over a thousand episodes of Dark Shadows the television series but I feel like it could have been condensed a little better.

A: I will give you that. The story is the thing that’s all over the place, ranging from Barnabas being turned into a vampire, to his waking up in 1972 and being a fish out of water, to a love story, a revenge story, and then it finishes as this straight up monster movie. It’s weird and almost doesn’t know what it wants to be.

But that brings me back to what we’ve been saying: it’s an entertaining movie. The fish out of water parts totally work and are funny, the first act of the movie is an excellent horror film (or at least have the makings of one), and the last act is a pretty good -looking action piece (save for a one instance of special effects I won’t say here). I'd actually say a lot of this film reminded me of Burton's Beetlejuice, but with better special effects.

Before we end this, I briefly want to echo your earlier sentiment that the casting choices worked well, but I felt like some of the actors got short shrift. Like Michelle Pfeiffer (Batman Returns) didn’t have a whole lot to do other than repeatedly walk down the master staircase in dramatic fashion, and Johnny Lee Miller (Dexter) might as well not have even been in the film his character is so unimportant.

S: Agreed. I think they should have promoted Gulliver McGrath’s David, the young boy, because next to Barnabas and Carolyn, he’s the most important member of the Collins family.

Ok! Well I think we can agree on one thing for certain – it’s an entertaining movie to go see!

A: Yeah, if you go into it expecting a masterpiece or some awesome new take on the vampire genre, you’ll be disappointed. Go into it expecting a Burton/Depp film and enjoy it for what it is. We certainly did.

S: In the end we’d say it’s a good way to kill the afternoon!

(Out of Five Clapboards)

Our Preview of This Week's New Releases (for Friday, May 11th)

Andrew: Hello readers! It's time for our weekly preview of the new theatrical releases coming out on Friday. Last week's preview was all about The Avengers because for all intents and purposes it was the only new wide release last week. This week isn't much different. While there are a few films coming out in limited release (a couple of which we'll briefly touch on towards the end), this week's only wide release of note is the new Tim Burton/Johnny Depp collaboration, Dark Shadows.

Dark Shadows is Burton's film adaptation the popular 1960's soap opera of the same name starring the late Jonathan Frid as a vampire named Barnabas Collins. In the new film, Barnabas (Depp) is an aristocrat from the 1700s who, after ticking off a witch, is turned into a vampire and buried for 200 years. He awakens to find himself in 1972 and that his ancestors have basically ruined the family's wealth and are an ecclectic bunch of weirdos.

Sarah, I think we've made it well-known on our blog that we're pretty big Johnny Depp fans, so on a scale of 1 to 10, how excited are we about Dark Shadows?

Sarah: I would have to say that I'm at about an eight on the scale. While Johnny Depp looks pretty hilarious is a typically dark fashion only to be brought about by Tim Burton, I am not super familiar with the story so I really don't know exactly what to expect. What about you?

Official Trailer for Dark Shadows

A: I'm fairly excited for it because I'm a big fan of Burton and Depp's prior movies - particularly Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (and yes, even Alice in Wonderland).

So I'm very interested to see their newest film for that reason alone, but also because I'm interested in seeing a film adaptation of the old Dark Shadows television show. I haven't seen any episodes of it either, only a clip your mom showed us on YouTube once, but just from that clip I could tell why Depp and Burton have a passion for the show and why they'd want to make it into a film of their own.

What I'm curious about is not only Depp's portrayal of Barnabas Collins, but how the rest of this A-list cast fairs. Your thoughts on the cast?

S: Oh yes, even from that short clip you could tell that this was definitely something up Burton and Depp's alley. It's dark with strange looking costumes and a lead that would fit perfectly with Depp's slightly morbid sense of humor.

Yea, the cast is killer. You have all of Burton's favorites (such as his partner, Helena Bonham Carter) and even some new ones that seem like they will fit right in with the rest of the cast. Chloe Grace Moretz looks like she will steal the show from Depp and this role might just solidify her as Hollywood's next go-to gal for all the movies. She has already starred with some big names (Nicolas Cage, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley) and is set to be alongside the likes of Blake Lively and Alec Baldwin this year in Hick.

What do you think of the cast? It's the typical Burton cast. Does that bother you at all?

A: I agree with your sentiment on Moretz, she's been great in Let Me In and Kick-Ass, and I know she's already been cast as the lead in the remake of Stephen King's Carrie, so you're spot on with her being a hot property in Hollywood.

I like the rest of the cast, too, I'm just worried about how much screentime they'll all get and how they'll work together. I think Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, the Collins family matriarch, was a stroke of genius from the outset, and I've enjoyed seeing what possibilities Eva Green can bring from a comedic standpoint as the film's antagonist, Angelique Bouchard, the witch who turns Barnabas into a vampire in the first place.

S: Yeah, and I do think this movie will have some unexpected laughs that we haven't seen yet in the trailers! I'm excited to see it and it will be a great review to add to our list!

So what else is gracing the big screen this weekend?

A: Well other than Dark Shadows, a couple of films coming out in limited release that have caught our eye are the new Eva Mendes film Girl in Progress and the aforementioned Chloe Grace Moretz film Hick.
Girl in Progress stars Eva Mendes as a woman who got pregnant as a teenager, and now that her daughter is also a teenager, she still hasn't completely grown up and it affects her daughter in the same ways her own absentee mother did. Honestly I'm probably butchering how best to describe this movie, so I suggest watching the trailer below, which is quite good.

Official Trailer for Girl in Progress

 Hick, on the other hand, stars Moretz as a teenage runaway who becomes involved with some shady characters while on the road, including Blake Lively as a con artist, Eddie Redmayne (My Week with Marilyn) as a potentially dangerous drifter, and the always awesome Alec Baldwin. Full disclosure, we were hooked by the trailer (that you can view below), and now I'm even more intrigued now that I know it currently has a 0% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes! How can this film be that bad??? I must know.

Official Trailer for Hick

So really, that sums up the few movies coming out this weekend that have caught our eye. I can personally guarantee that we will be seeing Dark Shadows and that review will be up this weekend. For both Sarah and I here at Two Tickets For..., as always, thanks for reading!