Day 54: "The Daytrippers"

Director: Greg Mottola 1996
I was tempted at first to call this a "wonderful, little film"--then thought better of "little." Yes, it's an indy. No big budget. No superstars. No special effects. No car chases (actually, there is one, but fans of "Bullitt" can relax). It's just not fair to call this little, so let's stick with wonderful.
The ensemble cast is working at top form: Hope Davis, Parker Posey, Stanley Tucci, Anne Meara, Pat McNamara and Liev Schreiber. Writer/director Mottola has created funny, sad, believable characters in a seemingly simple story that's really not all that simple. Davis suspects husband Tucci is unfaithful, so she, her parents, her sister and her sister's boyfriend pile into a stationwagon and trek to Manhattan from Long Island. They spend the day trying to find the husband, and during their odyssey they meet up with some interesting characters. This is a melancholy movie that seems just right to me. Some characters learn from the journey. Some--at least Meara's overbearing mother--do not. A lovely film--and Mottola deserves another crack at a feature film.
Produced by Steven Soderbergh.