Review of The Daytrippers (1997) by Caleb M — 05 Jun 2009

A charming and insightful little indie comedy with a smart script and some excellent performances. Davis, Posey, Tucci and McNamara are all fine and each have at least one scene in which to shine. Meara's character is a bit annoying, and while I have to admit I didn't enjoy her she did feel very similar to many mothers I have met or known. The real jewel in this film would have to be, in my opinion, Liev Schreiber, and actor I have great admiration for and shines in an earlier role as Posey's intellectual boyfriend. Mottola gives Schreiber's character Carl some of the most interesting dialog on the middle-class and American life, and then lets other characters question and tear down his ideas, revealing some of Mottola's own feelings towards society and individualism.

It's a shame Columbia has only released this on a hard to find out-of-print pan-and-scan disc. You'd think with the success of Superbad and Adventureland someone would want to scoop up some extra cash buy re-releasing this gem. Though I'd like to see this film in it's original aspect ratio, I'm glad to have finally gotten my hands on a copy.