DreamWorks
115 min., dir. by Alex Kurtzman with Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, and Michelle Pfeiffer

Nothing angers me more than a title meant to connect me as a viewer with a group of people that represent 5% of the world. Based on true events, People Like Us is the story of people like no one. A frustrating tale that drags on far beyond the point it needs to, People Like Us is just another predictable story where all the characters decide to do the wrong thing.

In a single day, slick salesman Sam (Chris Pine) has his job thrown into jeopardy and learns that his father has passed away. Uneasy about grieving or showing any real feelings toward his deceased father and widowed mother, Sam reluctantly heads home for the funeral. A famous yet somewhat overlooked music producer, Sam’s father was the key to developing many well-known musical acts.

When the family’s longtime lawyer asks to meet in private, Sam suspects he is about to be repaid for the years of neglect he experienced from his father. Sam is indeed handed a pile of money, which is just what he needs to save his job — except the money comes with a note requesting it be delivered to someone else. In an attempt to find out who the money is intended for, Sam and the rest of his family are confronted with a revelation that will either pull them together, or will drive them further apart.

There’s nothing gripping about People Like Us. The storytelling is convoluted and flat, and does more to push my buttons than create a well of empathetic emotions. Are these characters supposed to be people like me? Are people like them all going through the same thing? There are so few people in the world who can look at this movie and think, Wow, we are all so similar.

People Like Us is not a terrible movie. Rather, it’s an average, run-of the-mill family issues film with a clever twist for those who aren’t paying attention. Sitting through the film does feel like an eternity, but once the lights are up and you’re out the doors, you’ll forget the whole thing happened.