Familiar Strangers

Familiar Strangers
Familiar Strangers
	Film poster
Directed by	Zack Adler
Written by	John Bell
Produced by	Barry R. Sisson and Marc Lieberman
Starring	Shawn Hatosy; DJ Qualls; Tom Bower; Nikki Reed; Ann Dowd; Cameron Richardson; Georgia Mae Lively
Release dates	March 27, 2008 (Method Fest Independent Film Festival); November 14, 2008 (United States);
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$34,068

Familiar Strangers (formerly known as Pretzels & Pills) is a 2008 film about an American family going through the process of negotiating the changing relationships between parents and children, especially as those children grow into adulthood.

Plot

The film follows the Worthington family through a four-day Thanksgiving family gathering. Brian, who has moved away and kept his distance for the past several years, is reluctantly returning for this family tradition carrying the baggage of conflict with his father, Frank.

Frank feels he has failed as a father, having lost the ability to connect with his maturing children. When the children grew to adulthood and created their own identities and lives, Frank replaced them with his pets, new children “who never have to grow up”.

The film is populated by Frank and Brian, mother Dottie who holds the reins on this family beneath the surface, brother Kenny who as a twenty-something has not yet found his path, sister Erin who is struggling to find herself after a painful divorce, and Erin’s young daughter Maddy, truly wise beyond her years.

Through this story and the conflict and communication that occur, the Worthington family recognizes the friendship and love that can exist between parents and their adult children.

Cast

Shawn Hatosy as Brian Worthington
DJ Qualls as Kenny Worthington
Tom Bower as Frank Worthington
Nikki Reed as Allison
Ann Dowd as Dottie Worthington
Cameron Richardson as Erin Worthington
Georgia Mae Lively as Maddy

Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 40% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 5 reviews, with an average score of 5.0/10.^[2]

References

External links

Familiar Strangers at IMDb

This article about a 2000s comedy-drama film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article related to an American film of the 2000s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "Familiar Strangers (2008) - Box Office Mojo".

[2] Familiar Strangers at Rotten Tomatoes

[1]

[2]