Familiar Strangers

Familiar Strangers is a 2008 drama/comedy that transcends the usual family movie structure, with engaging performances by Shawn Hatosy, DJ Qualls, and the venerable Tom Bower. It navigates the intricacies of family dynamics, familiar themes of detachment, loss, growth, and reconnection, imbuing each situation with warmth, depth and genuine emotion.

Directed by Zackary Adler, the movie is essentially about a peculiar family, folks who know each other so well, and yet they're like strangers under the same roof. The story weaves together conflicts of personalities, buried resentments, and silent suffering, then layers it with relatable humor and surprising tenderness that many viewers could find resonating with their own experiences.

Shawn Hatosy, known for his impressive performances in Southland and Animal Kingdom, takes on the role of Brian Worthington, the oldest son who has moved out of his family home several years before. Brian is a portrait of a man caught between his old family connections and his independent life. Perceptions, misunderstandings, and communication mishaps give Hatosy an opportunity to skillfully portray the complexities of an adult son navigating his troubled relationship with his family.

DJ Qualls, popular for his roles in Road Trip and The New Guy, plays Kenny Worthington. Kenny, the youngest of the family, is a character that's not quite comfortable in his own skin which Qualls plays with an engaging awkwardness contrasting nicely with his brother's confident independence. Kenny's struggle with his role within the family provides much of the film's lighter moments while still touching on deeper emotions.

Acting heavyweight Tom Bower plays the patriarch of the Worthington family, Frank. Bower instills the character with a mix of rigid authority, emotional obliviousness, and a dash of subtle humor. Frank is an archaeology professor, more comfortable with remnants of the past than the dynamics of his own family. Interestingly, Bower's performance may leave you wondering whether Frank's aloof nature is by choice or ignorance.

The plot mostly unfolds in the family's rural Virginia home during Thanksgiving week. With Brian's rare return home, the stage set is for a familial comedy-drama to address long-held grudges and misunderstandings. The homecoming becomes a trigger for a roller coaster of emotional revelations - a clash of old-world values against new perspectives.

Nikki Reed (Twilight Series) and Ann Dowd (The Handmaid's Tale) give laudable performances as the mother and the sister respectively, completing the sometimes dysfunctional and emotionally disjointed Worthington family. Georgia, portrayed by Reed, is the middle child who constantly feels overlooked and longs to escape the quiet countryside, adding another layer to the film's theme of familial disconnect.

One can't forget the Worthington's old dog, aptly named Happy. Happy provides an unseen link. It's fascinating to see how this aging family pet, perhaps more than anyone or anything else, has a binding effect on the family in unexpected ways.

With it's quiet, quirky humor, nuanced performances and an evocative exploration of family ties, Familiar Strangers seems a fitting title. It challenges the idea that bloodlines and decades of living together equate understanding and closeness. It tackles generational separation, as well familial connection and poses the question of how well we truly know our family members.

Shot wonderfully by cinematographer, Hernan Otaño, the film embraces the essence of rural Virginia, with beautiful countryside landscapes that mirror the tranquility and complexity of the Worthington family's lives.

Overall, Familiar Strangers is a charming movie that, through the peculiarly relatable Worthington family, offers the audience genuine laughs, moments of empathy, and perhaps a tear or two. This film might make viewers evaluate their own family dynamics in a new light and underlines how essential, yet tricky, the art of communication can be within a family. It reflects the universal truth that no matter how estranged they may seem, families are tied together by invisible threads of love, and understanding. It's a story of families who are strangers, and strangers who are more like family.