People like Us

An estranged son (Chris Pine) reluctantly returns home for his father's funeral only to discover he may have a sister (Elizabeth Banks) he never knew. Michelle Pfeiffer plays the mom in this moving story about flawed people making mistakes and trying to make amends. The dialogue is smart and witty. The acting is terrific. Although they are screwed up characters, you will be rooting for all of them; the commodities facilitator who tends to run away from is problems, the alcoholic bartender who struggles to raise her son, and the lonely child who is prone to being sent to the principal's office. The movie will start to feel like a romantic comedy, but it is not. It is a complex film with a sense of humor about the pain and love of family.

Alien gives it 3 "stalking awkwardly" stars out of 4.