Mistaken for Strangers

Released Mar 28, 2014

1h 20m

Documentary

Comedy

Music

List

92%

62 Reviews

Tomatometer

85%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmaker Tom Berninger follows members of The National as they embark on an international tour.

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Critics Consensus

A suitably complicated look at fraternal bonds, Mistaken for Strangers offers more depth and insight than the usual tour documentary.

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C M

The insufferable, pretentious jam band makes this cliche documentary a joke not worthy of a Spinal Tap comparison. ST was in on the joke, the National was not.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

bill t

After a ridiculously strong first half, where a brother of a famous rock star goes on tour with his band hired as a roadie, but secretly wants to make a film about the band, this movie sort of tapers off in the second, post tour. As a matter of fact, when that happens, I was sort of shocked, because the most interesting thing was this guy's reactions to being on tour with this band. So how is he going to follow up? We get into a little bit of family life, depression and filmmaking, but I'm sorry. It's just not cutting it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Masterpiece. Pure. Love. Tom talking about Matt's bad dream is one of the best scenes I have ever seen in a movie. And it's also this movie's perfect conclusion.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Pretty good movie! Very entertaining to watch even when you don't know the National. It gets very personal and close to the band and into the mind of Tom.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

brendan n

I'm not a huge supporter of music documentaries but this was very interesting. The brother lost in the limelight and struggling to find his own place may sound tiresome but this film has a lot of heart. The behind the scenes portrait of one of the greatest and critically acclaimed bands of the last ten years. The film is overly long and never over stays its welcome, the interaction between the brothers are very hilarious and uncomfortable at times. The scene where the older brother is questioning why the younger brother has left a bowl of cereal in the bathroom is priceless. By the end you are swept up in the brothers search for meaning and are provided insight into a band who has managed to avoid mainstream popularity for their duration. 21-07-2017.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A documentary that didn't go as planned, and was better than planned. "About Brothers first, music second" - IMDB user

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Tom Berninger

Director

Matt Berninger

Actor

Aaron Dessner

Actor

Bryce Dessner

Actor

Carin Besser

Actor

Barack Obama

Actor

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Mark Kermode

Observer (UK)

It's an uneven affair, embraced as unguardedly "intimate" by some fans of the band, but in reality less moving than Anvil! The Story of Anvil, and lacking the objective insight of Terry Zwigoff's oddly comparable Crumb.

Rated: 2/5

Jun 29, 2014

Full Review

Tara Brady

Irish Times

We loved every minute of Tom's company and his film, right down to Halford's O Holy Night over the closing credits.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 27, 2014

Full Review

Charlotte O'Sullivan

London Evening Standard

A beautiful movie about fame and family.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 27, 2014

Full Review

Kip Mooney

Screen Invasion

A messy experience that's different than the standard tour documentary.

Aug 10, 2021

Full Review

David Harris

Spectrum Culture

Mistaken for Strangers feels like a depressed guy riding his famous older sibling's coattails in a vain attempt to make sense out of his life.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 22, 2019

Full Review

Tom Bond

One Room With A View

Brilliant when exploring the creative process and the internal struggle any artist faces to make something good despite their doubts and fears.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 15, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Filmmaker Tom Berninger follows members of The National as they embark on an international tour.

Director: Tom Berninger
Producer: Marshall Curry
Distributor: Abramorama
Production Co: American Mary and the National
Genre: Documentary, Comedy, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 28, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 28, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $785
Runtime: 1h 20m

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