Mega producer and screenwriter Alex Kurtzman (Star Trek, Transformers, a bunch of other stuff) is making his directorial debut this year, but it's not on nearly the size of project you're used to seeing from him. A human-sized drama about a brother and sister (Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks) who never knew the other existed, People Like Us boasts the killer cast and intriguing premise to get people to pay attention, but with no giant robots or spaceships in sight. The movie's first trailer has debuted at Moviefone, and you can watch it there or embedded below.
I love that the intro from Elizabeth Banks seems specifically tailored to her newfound Hunger Games success-- you'd think Chris Pine, a.k.a. Captain Kirk, would be the big get, but it's Effie's world now I guess. But with a cast rounded out by Olivia Wilde, Jon Favreau, Michelle Pfeiffer and Mark Duplass, it's no wonder that the studio, Buena Vista, is going for a daring June 29 release date. That puts it opposite G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Steven Soderbergh's Magic Mike, not to mention smaller festival hits Beasts of the Southern Wild and Take This Waltz, but People Like Us seems to hit a glossy middle ground, not especially big and obnoxious, but star-studded and emotional enough to draw in big crowds.
I was hoping for a first trailer that felt a little less schmaltzy, but the power of the cast and Kurtzman's stronger credits are enough to look past that for now. Let us know if you'll pick People Like Us as your midsummer counter-programming in the comments below.
