Parents' Guide to People Like Us

Pine and Banks (she especially) are the kind of charming performers who are ridiculously likable -- even in otherwise bland films or forgettable roles. PEOPLE LIKE US, which was directed by Transformers screenwriter Alex Kurtzman, isn't mediocre; it's got an interesting premise and a winning chemistry between the leads. The problem is that when Sam decides not to tell Frankie he's her brother, he violates the sacred Jerry Maguire rule of messing with a single mother. Frankie inevitably falls for Sam -- as would any woman in the presence of Pine's outrageously handsome face and selfless interest in her behaviorally challenged child. That one choice is so unforgivably misguided and, frankly, unbelievable, that it's hard not to cheer when Frankie beats him up after discovering his secret.

But even the fundamental flaw of Sam allowing Frankie to believe that he was just a gorgeous dream guy helping out an attractive single mom doesn't completely ruin People Like Us -- precisely because Pine and Banks are such endearing actors. Before the big reveal, the two get to know each other through deep conversations over tacos, laundry duty, and sodas at a hip hotel bar. Sam also becomes a fatherly figure to precocious middle schooler Josh, who's wise and witty beyond his years (another bit of inauthenticity). They bond mostly via music history instruction, which Sam gladly provides by extolling the virtues of vinyl and New Wave legends like the Clash. Even with its many missteps (the excellent, nuanced You Can Count on Me, this is not), People Like Us' performances make it a sibling drama worth seeing.