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).

This movie is passionless. There are really no redeeming qualities except for about three times during the entire movie where I laughed. I'm all for low budget dramas, but this looks like it was shot by a porn director. The acting is at a par with high school drama actors. The story is completely unengaging and listless. If you want to learn how to make a poor movie, watch this film.

Well, after renting Next Stop Wonderland, I've sought out anything starring Hope Davis. She is part of an ensemble cast this time, all of whom equal her acting abilities (but none of whom look as good!) Anyway, this is a great rental (though Wonderland is ten times better). As for the ending, it will shock you as much as the Sixth Sense did. Enjoy!

This movie cracked me up. I thought Parker Posey was great, Anne Meara, Liev Shreiber, Stanley Tucci, etc. A wild 24 hours of suburbia in a station wagon meets Manhattan, some very funny moments and situations with a big surprise at the end. I always recommend this film to my friends that like indies.