noa r
felt very wes anderson and more my sense of humour. i admire the concept and feel so much, very "little miss sunshine (2006)" meets "the royal tenenbaums (2001)." when it comes to parker posey, i am seated. THE INDIE QUEEN. i've never seen any of greg mottola's work before, so this has inspired me to watch more.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
04/13/24
Full Review
Matthew D
An adorable absurdist trip to give anyone a laugh!
Director Greg Mottola's indie comedy-drama The Daytrippers (1996) is a sheer pleasure to watch. Mottola's absurdist sense of humor, lighthearted atmosphere, warm direction, insane characters, and quirky whimsical direction make The Daytrippers feel special. It's such a hilarious comedy and a touching drama with an intimate indie feel to it. No wonder Mottola went on to direct Superbad among other comedy classics. The Daytrippers comes across as genuine, creative, innovative, and delightful in every sense with a stellar ensemble cast!
I'm so glad producers Steven Soderbergh, Nancy Tenenbaum, David Heyman, and Campbell Scott got The Daytrippers funded as it's effortlessly charming and sweet-natured. Writer Greg Mottola creates a sad scenario of a kind woman finding out her husband is likely cheating on her, then he turns it into a quaint scenario of her family taking a road trip to New York to confront the philanderer. The Daytrippers is a simple blast of silly stops in New York with a dysfunctional, but supportive family dynamic along for the ride.
I like how Mottola's drama gives sympathy to each character a poor woman desperately holding onto the idea of her marriage's fidelity, a discontent sister realizing her relationship is going nowhere, a pretentious writer getting called out for his snobbery and hateful attitude only to lose his girlfriend over that very same personality flaw, a mother trying to keep her daughters' love lives in tact, a father tired of hearing about everyone's troubles, and a husband emotionally reeling inside from his secret. Mottola really nailed this superb script full of outrageous ideas, hysterical conversations, strange encounters, and earnest empathy for his characters. The Daytrippers feels similar to Night on Earth or Moonstruck with a cool indie feel and charming characters with crazy personalities.
Hope Davis is a lovely blonde actress with a soft spoken voice and shy manner that makes her heroine Eliza Malone D'Amico very sympathetic. You cannot imagine why her husband would ever cheat on such a loving and beautiful woman. Hope is devastating for The Daytrippers' dramatic heart as everyone is talking about her failing marriage, while she must endure it silently until her final tears. I felt for Eliza the entire time. Hope Davis is a wonderful actress with really subtle expressions in her face.
Stanley Tucci is excellent in his brief appearances as the shocking cheater and book publisher Louis D'Amico. His loving introduction feels tender to further stun you when we get the real reveal. His indignant outrage at getting called out for cheating and his frustrated embarrassment over his secret are really exquisite dramatic acting that's also a riot to watch Louis unravel before our eyes.
Parker Posey is so sexy and a scream as the hilariously apathetic Jo Malone. She has real heart and curiosity as Jo. Parker is gorgeous and amusing as the party girl, who just wants real passion in her love life. You can tell Jo is immediately attracted to Campbell Scott's intelligent and charming author Eddie Masler, instead of Liev Schreiber's bore, who just talks down to her with a condescending tone and all. Liev Schreiber was born to play the pretentious loser author Carl Petrovic. His dog novel monologues are so funny like his facial expressions when he realizes that he's just a huge loser that everyone hates other than Jo's mother Rita.
Anne Meara is sublime as the nosy and demanding mother Rita Malone. Her screaming at her daughters how to live their life, but never yelling at Carl is just too funny. Pat McNamara is great as Rita's quietly seething and bored husband Jim Malone. You can tell he doesn't care about any of these interactions or arguments until it hurts his daughter Eliza. Marcia Gay Harden's alcoholic reeling from a breakup Libby is quite fun at the last party. Paul Herman's appearance as the commanding New York father on the run Leon is excellent. He's very funny and I did not expect his character's twist at all.
Editor Anne McCabe's slick cuts keep The Daytrippers down to a tight 87 minutes of all jokes and heartfelt conversations. It feels so fast paced and yet intimate as McCabe lets the conversations flow with sharp cutting. Cinematographer John Inwood keeps us in close-ups for the conversations to really capture the listener's honest feelings about each topic for a laugh. The sweeping panning shots around New York look so smooth. Bonnie J. Brinkley makes a cozy home, cluttered office, and quaint apartments for a raw look to each set.
Composer Richard Martinez' film score for The Daytrippers is quite cool. His quiet instrumentation is soothing and creates a relaxing atmosphere for all of The Daytrippers. His music is honestly refreshing and pleasantly light. Sound designers Will Ralston and Frank Morrone drown out most of New York's ambient noise in favor of crisp voice recordings and just softer voices in the backdrop at parties for a realistic soundscape. Barabara Preser's costume designers are so fashionable on Parker Posey, ground and cool on Hope Davis, college chic on Liev Schreiber, and natural on the rest of the cast.
In short, The Daytrippers is always funny and surprisingly earnest for all of its sincere drama.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
04/06/23
Full Review
Steve D
I like the cast a lot but this does not work at all.
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
02/14/23
Full Review
ben n
I found this slice of life to be very enjoyable. I was reminded of more recent films, like First Cow, that allow time to play out in an un-rushed way. We identify with the characters and see the surroundings through their eyes. i think this is equally a slice in the life of the place they are in. And the ending was not what I predicted. Entertaining rom-com, with a healthy dose of introspection.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
andres s
That was pretty hot that scene with Hope Davis and Tucci. Man, Hope is a knockout, great body and cute personality. I have a feeling this movie is going to feel quite candid and genuine especially with all the good actors. Liev Scrieber's character, although full of himself and pompous, seems like an ok guy. He looks so much like Mac Demarco. He's fucking hilarious though, he's got a great sense of humor. So far these characters are very likable and have distinct personalities. Even though Hope's mother is pretty uneducated, she has good intentions and wants to help her daughters out.
Watching this, I can see Greg Mottola's humor and how it makes its way into Adventureland. He's got a great sense of humor, very sarcastic and dry. That explosion of verbal exchange that happened between Jo, her mother and Liev's character right on the street in the middle of New York was mesmerizing to watch. It felt very real, like something you'd witness if you were just walking down the street. I fucking knew Sandy was a dude! Holy shit! I called it! There was a point in the movie towards the end where I questioned whether Sandy was actually a dude instead of a woman and boom, he was!
I can't help but feel a minor theme in this movie is classes, like societal classes - middle, working and such. This movie was fucking hilarious. It had me laughing so damn hard. I hadn't laughed that hard in a while. It's quite an emotional rollercoaster especially towards the end but it's heartwarming, bittersweet and it wears its heart on its sleeve. I love how each character learns and discovers more about each other. Both the things they hate and the things they love about one another along with their problems and characteristics they have to work on. It's interesting to see the stark contrast between the mother and dad. The mother can be too overbearing and controlling, while the father just lets things ride out, he doesn't feel the need to have to intervene in everyone's affairs. The boyfriend although a great guy tries too hard to prove himself and comes off as a pompous schmuck. Jo is kind of a mess and needs to find herself and what she wants. As for Eliza, she seems to be the most normal one out of everyone but has the biggest problem out of all of them. A problem that seems to be something out of her control. It seems like this day trip was essential for everyone's growth. Wonderfully clever, smartly written and just really fucking hilarious. I loved this movie, it's no wonder I love Adventureland, Mottola's other movie. It's got good depth to it while still being funny and not full of itself.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The Daytrippers might not be the obvious or preeminent example of the 1990s independent dialogue-driven comedy drama, but it is an aptly competent and bemusing one. Though not that old, the film plays like a kind of fresh fossil; the last remnant of the better end of the Central Perk era, that entire culture gone by.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
Full Review
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