I’ve chosen bits and pieces from the review of ‘People Like Us’ that LivinginCinema.com recently posted, and I must say it’s worth a read, but while your here check out the snippets below.
People Like Us is the surprisingly moving story of two wayward strangers who are drawn together by a shared secret. Finding each other, it turns out, may also be the key to finding themselves. Yes, the story is about as conventional a drama as it sounds, but it’s reasonably intelligent and adult, it’s got a couple of winning performances at its core and it adds just enough narrative wrinkles to keep it fresh as it builds to a satisfyingly emotional finale. In other words, People Like Us is pretty much everything it sets out to be and everything you could want from the type.
Pine, who was easily the best part of Star Trek and who has already established himself as a movie star even if he is not yet a household name, continues to expand his range. He’s demonstrated a knack for handsome, cocky, slightly roguish characters who don’t take themselves so seriously that they’re annoying and here he takes that character one step further. Sam is a man on the verge of succumbing to bitterness and of turning into the selfish jerk he’s always despised. His actions aren’t always noble, but he’s still very relatable and you find yourself hoping he does the right thing. Pine manages to be likable even when he’s being a bit of an asshole.
What’s interesting here is that Pine and Banks have terrific chemistry together and in any other film they’d be convincing lovers. That’s not in the cards for People Like Us however because the characters are related. Instead, the story has to make the case for these two growing to love each other without being able to fall back on phony romantic tropes like love at first sight. They genuinely have to get to know each other.
Make sure you check out the full review over at LivinginCinema.com
