People Like Us
After his father's death exposes a secret half-sister, a self-absorbed businessman must deliver her inheritance and confront the family he has spent years avoiding.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- intimate
- abrasive
- reflective evening
- family drama night
What critics said
Critics found the film calculated and melodramatic but credited its solid lead performances and unusually adult-focused family screenplay.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sam learns after his father's death that he has a half-sister, forcing hidden family relationships into the open.
Sam is tasked with delivering his father's bequest to Frankie, turning money into a test of family responsibility.
Sam and Frankie are both absorbed in work while resisting painful family obligations and unresolved personal histories.
Josh's profane jokes and disruptive behavior puncture the film's grief-driven domestic drama.
Films like People Like Us, and why
The Descendants
shared dysfunctional-family drama, concealed parentage, and emotionally guarded adult characters
August: Osage County
shared domestic melodrama, family secrets, and reconciliation after a parent's death
Dan in Real Life
shared bittersweet family drama centered on estrangement, grief, and imperfect reconciliation
Movie Details
- Director
- Alex Kurtzman
- Release Date
- 2012-06-29
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (674)
Cast
- Chris Pine
- Elizabeth Banks
- Olivia Wilde
- Michelle Pfeiffer
- Mark Duplass
- Devin Brochu
- Barbara Eve Harris
- Dean Chekvala
- Sara Mornell
- Michael Hall D'Addario
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is People Like Us about?
- After his father's death exposes a secret half-sister, a self-absorbed businessman must deliver her inheritance and confront the family he has spent years avoiding.
- What is People Like Us like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of People Like Us as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is People Like Us violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in People Like Us as mild.
- What did critics think of People Like Us?
- Critics found the film calculated and melodramatic but credited its solid lead performances and unusually adult-focused family screenplay.
- Which films are like People Like Us?
- Films with a similar feel include The Descendants, August: Osage County, and Dan in Real Life.
- How long is People Like Us?
- People Like Us runs 114 minutes.
- Where can I watch People Like Us?
- In United States, People Like Us is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
