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Mistaken for Strangers

Play trailer Poster for Mistaken for Strangers 2014 1h 20m Documentary Comedy Music Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
92% Tomatometer 61 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Filmmaker Tom Berninger follows members of The National as they embark on an international tour.
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Mistaken for Strangers

Mistaken for Strangers

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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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Critics Reviews

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Mark Kermode Observer (UK) 06/29/2014
2/5
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. Go to Full Review
Tara Brady Irish Times 06/27/2014
4/5
We loved every minute of Tom's company and his film, right down to Halford's O Holy Night over the closing credits. Go to Full Review
Charlotte O'Sullivan London Evening Standard 06/27/2014
4/5
A beautiful movie about fame and family. Go to Full Review
Kip Mooney Screen Invasion 08/10/2021
A messy experience that's different than the standard tour documentary. Go to Full Review
David Harris Spectrum Culture 11/22/2019
3/5
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. Go to Full Review
Tom Bond One Room With A View 06/15/2019
4/5
Brilliant when exploring the creative process and the internal struggle any artist faces to make something good despite their doubts and fears. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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C M @Cmorriss 01/23/2023 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. See more bill t @Spuzz 05/25/2020 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. See more 12/30/2017 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. See more 10/31/2017 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. See more brendan n 07/23/2017 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. See more 08/30/2016 A documentary that didn't go as planned, and was better than planned. "About Brothers first, music second" - IMDB user See more Read all reviews
Mistaken for Strangers

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Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Tom Berninger follows members of The National as they embark on an international tour.
Director
Tom Berninger
Producer
Matt Berninger, Carin Besser, Craig Charland
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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