Kurtzman and Orci, who wrote films like the remake of Star Trek and Transformers (and its sequels), as well as the third instalment of Mission Impossible, shift into a gentler gear with this endearing character-driven narrative. They turn the real-life experiences of Kurtzman into an emotional and tearful real-life adventure.
People Like Us is a film that tightly holds your hand and never lets go, allowing you to share in an enriching and meaningful experience that is intimate and passionate, about how we can choose to bring out the best or worst of human nature.
If there's one reason to see this film, it's for Chris Pine's magnificent performance as a 20-something, fast-talking salesman who finds his latest deal collapsing on the same day that he learns that his father has suddenly died. Against his wishes, he is called home, where he must put his father's estate in order and reconnect with his estranged family. In the course of fulfilling his father's last wishes, Sam uncovers a startling secret that turns his entire world upside-down.
Pine is perfectly cast as a man whose crumbling life cries out for help and sends him on a quest to find answers in unexpected places, meeting two strangers who changes his life forever. Elizabeth Banks is superb as the single mother who does everything in her power to keep her own life together, with Michael Hall D'addario equally impressive as her rebellious son.
What sets out to be an ordinary story about a son who will do everything in his power to avoid the funeral of his dad, and an encounter with his distant and cold-hearted mother (a terrific performance from Michelle Pfeiffer), avalanches into a heartfelt exploration of the human condition and a man who will do anything to restore misconceptions and hidden secrets.
People Like Us is one of those remarkable life lessons that shows how important it is to allow truth and honesty to triumph, opening up a world of hope and newfound love and understanding. Whether your cup is half full, or half empty, People Like Us reveals how vital it is to take a sip of victory and taste its sweet power. If ever you needed to heal old wounds and mend broken friendships, make sure to see People like Us. It's a feel-good experience that makes you connect with who you are and those who share your life. It is a rewarding film that the entire family can wholeheartedly enjoy.
People Like Us may be Alex Kurtzman's feature-film directorial debut, but there was never a question about whether he would be the one to helm the movie. "I felt that after seven years of protecting these characters and building them, it was going to be very difficult to hand the project off to somebody else, particularly since the vision that we had by that point was so specific," said Kurtzman.
"I really felt like this movie was such a part of me that I couldn't even begin to imagine someone else directing it." Kurtzman is candid about how he felt making a film on a subject that he has a personal connection to: "In some ways, to be honest, it wasn't really a choice for me. It was something that kind of happened and became all-consuming. I knew that it was going to be emotionally expensive to go down the road of trying to make this thing real - it is a complicated separating of truth from fiction, and the thing that was most important to me, while being true to the experience of my life, was that I wanted to make sure it was a movie that communicated that everybody has reasons for doing what they do."
Kurtzman and Orci contacted their good friend Jody Lambert, who they had met in college, and invited him to help them write People Like Us. Orci added: "And if it feels real, it is because the three of us writers are friends who don't hide a lot from each other. It's easy when you're writing something like this to share other stories with each other that can be embarrassing. You really want to open yourself up to your experiences and try to get them on the page and that's something I think you can only do with people you really trust."
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