Other People (2016)

A struggling comedy writer, fresh off a breakup and in the midst of the worst year of his life, returns to Sacramento to care for his dying mother.

Director:

Chris Kelly

Writer:

Chris Kelly

Stars:

Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, Bradley Whitford

3 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jesse Plemons	...	David
Molly Shannon	...	Joanne
Bradley Whitford	...	Norman
Maude Apatow	...	Alexandra
Madisen Beaty	...	Rebeccah
Deb Hiett	...	Cathy Columbo (voice)
Eli Vargas	...	Del Taco Employee (voice)
June Squibb	...	Ruth-Anne
Paul Dooley	...	Ronnie
Kyle Lane	...	Daniel
Matt Walsh	...	Steve
Kerri Kenney	...	Aunt Lynne
Paula Pell	...	Aunt Patti
Kevin Dorff	...	Dennis
Sophi Bairley	...	Caroline

Storyline

Follows David as he moves back home to be with his mother for the year between her giving up her fight against cancer and slowly dying. Davids relationship with his family is, at best, strained (especially in regard to his father) because of an apparent difficulty in accepting his homosexuality. Although the subject matter is genuinely distressing, his mothers death ultimately helps restore his familial bonds and become an integrated part of the family unit again.

---

Plot Keywords:

gay lead character | gay protagonist | cancer | anticipating death | gay relationship | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sissy Spacek was originally cast in the role of the mother but dropped out due to her commitment to the second season of Bloodline (2015) and was later replaced by Molly Shannon.

---

Quotes

David: This all just feels like... something that happens to other people.
Gabe: Yeah well now, you're other people to other people.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Late Late Show with James Corden: Benedict Cumberbatch/Dennis Quaid/Molly Shannon/Ike Barinholtz (2016)

---

Soundtracks

Drops of Jupiter
Written by Pat Monahan, Colin Charles (as Charles Colin), Robert A. Hotchkiss Jr. (as Robert S. Hotchkiss), Jimmy Stafford (as James W. Stafford), and Scott Underwood (as Scott Michael Underwood)
Performed by Train

User Reviews

Outstanding movie about a very sad subject

Other People (2016/I) was written and directed by Chris Kelly. It stars Jesse Plemons as David, a young, gay, NYC comedy writer who is having the worst year imaginable. His mother is dying from a rare cancer, and he has broken up with his gay partner of five years. (Plemons is an very talented actor, who acts his role well.) David moves back home to Sacramento, to be with his family and help care for his mother. Molly Shannon portrays David's mother, Joanne. Joanne is clearly a wonderful person, attacked by a cruel illness that is taking her life rapidly and inexorably.

David is an immense help to his mother as she moves back and forth between fighting the disease and giving in to the disease. Unfortunately, she loses either way. Joanne's struggle with cancer is really the core plot of the movie.

The scene in which Joanne goes back to the elementary school where she was a teacher, and meets with her old friends, and with her replacement, is superb. It's worth watching the film for that scene alone.

An important additional plot of the movie is that David's father will not accept the fact that his son is gay. He is willing to "debate it" with David. However, as David points out, there's really nothing to debate. He's gay, and that's the way it is.

We saw this film at Rochester's excellent Little Theatre as an opening night selection of Image Out, the outstanding 24th Annual LGBT festival. It will work well on the small screen. It's definitely worth seeking out and seeing.

This film carries a terrible 6.1 rating from IMDb reviewers. This is a case where I say, "Did anyone else see the same movie that I saw?" Ignore the rating, see Other People, and judge for yourself.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Οι Άλλοι Άνθρωποι

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$36,997, 11 September 2016

Gross USA:

$91,441

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$91,441

Company Credits

Production Co:

Park Pictures, Gettin' Rad Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1