ametaphysicalshark Before the shockingly good teen comedy "Superbad" and the wistful, sentimental post-collegiate angst of "Adventureland", even before his now famous TV work, director Greg Mottola made this 1996 gem "The Daytrippers". The film, like Mottola's other films, works a familiar and unpromising premise into a genuine, heartfelt, wonderful observation on human behavior. The film, while rougher around the edges technically and as a script than either "Superbad" (written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg) and "Adventureland" (written by Mottola himself, as "The Daytrippers" is), is yet another distinctive and memorable Mottola film. The plot is pretty much covered by the film's tagline: "One station wagon. Two generations. Three couples. Four relationships", but much like Mottola's other films ("Superbad": Two best friends and a nerdy semi-friend attempt to get laid before graduation. "Adventureland": college grad works at amusement park and falls in love) the plot doesn't really give any indication of how good the film is. Great script overall by Mottola with terrific characterization and dialogue which rings true, not to mention mature handling of the relationships as well as a good dose of humor. An excellent cast (at their best too, Mottola's great work with actors on display yet again) including Stanley Tucci, Hope Davis, Liev Schrieber, and Parker Posey bring the script to life well, and Mottola's storytelling skills and comic timing as director are, even this early in his career, excellent. Not as good as his later work, but Mottola shows great promise with this early film. Cannot wait for "Paul", which promises to be absolutely brilliant if his career follows the path it's on (getting better with every film).

saucyvideoguy Daytrippers and Little Miss Sunshine have very similar themes of family road trips but 'Daytrippers' was far more sophisticated and understated. I'm pretty disappointed this flick isn't available on the DVD in the U.S. Me and my girlfriend watched this one twice in the theaters during the waining heyday of the indie-film era.Our favorite line: When Parker Posey says, "You know dad, that was basically the worst car chase in history..."HAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHA!

bob the moo Eliza D'Amico is in love with her husband Louis and assumes that he feels the same way. However when she finds a note of love poetry in his pocket from someone called Sandy, she worries that he is having an affair. Confiding in her mother, father, sister and her sister's boyfriend, the decision is made for her to take a trip into the city to investigate. After a drive, the group pry into Louis' office and uncover something going on with a colleague called Cassandra. They dig deeper and their trip turns into a full day and night in the city.I can understand those who have problems with the narrative arch of this film because it is a bit unlikely and contrived but it is likely that many viewers will find enjoyment in the dialogue and mood of the film. Never hilarious, the film has a consistently nice comic touch and the dialogue help produce the characters over and above the situations that the plot puts them in. In this way it works reasonably well because it develops the story well enough while using the specific situations to allow for comic dialogue. I wasn't ever laughing and I wasn't ever totally engrossed in the story but it did enough to keep my interest and amuse and interest. Mottola aims for an independent feel and hits it spot on. It has its flaws but it works even if the film stock has dated and looks a bit grainy.The cast work well with the material and Mottola's casting agents have done really well to get such an ensemble together. There is no one clear lead and everyone works well together. Davis is given the least of the characters as she has to carry the plot but she does it well regardless. Posey is more interesting because her character is – plus I always find her easy to enjoy for some reason. Schreiber judges his character well and allows us to spot his annoying characteristics gradually in the same way that Jo would be spotting them with time; often I find him annoying, here it was intentional and his performance is good in that way. Tucci has a minor role and his presence is more about his name that his ability, but he is welcome. Meara and McNarama both work well together and produce the most energy as the parents. All of them work well with the dialogue and the scenarios and do their best with the narrative.Overall this is a light indie film that des have weakness in the narrative but generally makes up for it with good dialogue and a nice air to it. The starry (if you move in that way) cast react well to it and turn in good performances and characters that help the film be better that the narrative arch would suggest it is.

Zark-4 This is a hilarious film... beautifully-written, hysterically-acted, excellently directed. Rent it. See it. Liev Schrieber is great, and so is Parker Posey. Greg Mottola will be, one day, a great director. He's also a very funny writer, and was able to make a story that's both moving and funny.