Alex Kurtzman is known for his involvement in films like Transformers and Star Trek and TV shows including Fringe, Xena: Warrior Princess and one of my personal favorites, Alias. But he has been known to dabble outside the realm of sci-fi/fantasy. Actually, dabbling might be an overstatement as the only true example of this that I saw at a glance is an executive producer credit on The Proposal, one of my favorite guilty-pleasure rom-coms in recent years. The upcoming film People Like Us seems like a true shift in gears for the producer, who not only wrote the film but also directed. And it should be very interesting to see how he tackles a story that doesn't include any science fiction or fantasy elements.
Starring Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks, People Like Us tells the story of Sam, a salesman with money troubles whose father dies and leaves money to him to give to a sister he didn't know existed. The trailer gives us an idea of the story and the potential for a feel-good drama about two people whose lives just might be connecting at a time when both need it to. And the featurette released earlier this month gives us an indication of the personal connection of this movie to its writer/director Alex Kurtzman.
Today we have a clip from the film, which zooms in slightly, focusing on one moment that reveals a happy moment between Sam, Frankie, and Frankie's son Josh.
It doesn't seem like a major moment, but with stories like the one explored in this film, it's these little family moments when three people are laughing over crab that allow us to see the bonds that are forming. There's music, joking, and it's followed up with Sam showing the boy how to crack open his crab. It may not seem like a big moment, but what we're seeing strikes me as the kind of moment a person might remember for the rest of their life.
One of the things I've come to learn about science fiction over the years of slowly developing an appreciation for the genre, is that - if done well - science fiction has a way of bringing out the true spirit of humanity. Some of the most emotional stories I've seen and read have fallen under the realm of sci-fi, and family can play a big part in that. For example, Alias - a series which veered into sci-fi territory, especially in its later seasons - had a strong family element to its story. Sydney's relationship with her father was one of the best things the show had going for it from the start. So while People Like Us looks like something very different on the surface (despite Captain Kirk starring, of course), it may not be such a huge stretch for Kurtzman. As a fan of his other work, I'm looking forward to seeing how this story unfolds on screen.
People Like Us arrives in theaters June 29. More information, photos and video can be found in our Blend Film Database.
