IMDb RATING
5.3/10
4.6K
YOUR RATING
A hip, well-dressed yuppie tracks down his biological parents, only to find that they live in a trailer park.A hip, well-dressed yuppie tracks down his biological parents, only to find that they live in a trailer park.A hip, well-dressed yuppie tracks down his biological parents, only to find that they live in a trailer park.
Featured reviews
Why are the others who have reviewed this movie critically blaming the actors? It's a top notch cast. Honestly, whoever produced and edited this movie is to blame if it's not more popular. Obviously the actors must have seen something good in the script for all of them to accept their parts they played. To me, this movie was not a disappointment as others have commented. It's silly, yes. Goofy, yeah. To me, if it was produced a bit better, and the editing done a bit better I would have definitely given it at least a 7 out of 10. I watched this movie mostly because I just adore Ron Livingston. Even playing a straight-man character he's very funny. I hope this gets released in the U.S. at least on DVD because with it's cast it is well worth the watch.
Ron Livingston who was wonderful in "Office Space", once again hits a home run with "Relative Strangers". What is essentially a one joke movie, comes across extremely well. Perfect casting, starting with Danny DeVito and a truly funny script. There is also a fine message that you should not be disappointed if people do not live up to your expectations. Kathy Bates and Danny DeVito as the "trailer trash" parents are so great, and Christine Baranski is the perfect foil for Beverly DeAngelo and her sequin dresses. Off the wall hilarious situations abound, and there are even some very sweet moments. Highly recommended. - MERK
Well, you know what you are in for with a movie such as "Relative Strangers". And with that being said, this movie follows the how-to-make-a-comedy script-book page by page. As such, the movie is very generic and predictable.
That being said, I will say that the movie is still enjoyable for what it is. There are some fun situations here and there, and there are some nice enough laughs throughout the movie. And there is just enough awkward situations to make it enjoyable enough to sit through to the end of the movie.
What really saves the movie is the cast. Danny DeVito can be somewhat of an acquired taste, but he did pull this off well enough. Kathy Bates was very well-cast for this movie. I had some reservations about Ron Livingston and Neve Campbell, but they both genuinely surprised me in a good way.
"Relative Strangers" is the type of movie that you watch once, then bag and tag it, most likely never to watch it again. Director Greg Glienna managed to muster but a mediocre comedy here.
That being said, I will say that the movie is still enjoyable for what it is. There are some fun situations here and there, and there are some nice enough laughs throughout the movie. And there is just enough awkward situations to make it enjoyable enough to sit through to the end of the movie.
What really saves the movie is the cast. Danny DeVito can be somewhat of an acquired taste, but he did pull this off well enough. Kathy Bates was very well-cast for this movie. I had some reservations about Ron Livingston and Neve Campbell, but they both genuinely surprised me in a good way.
"Relative Strangers" is the type of movie that you watch once, then bag and tag it, most likely never to watch it again. Director Greg Glienna managed to muster but a mediocre comedy here.
I see this all the time sadly. Movies that get little to no recognition by hardly anyone that, even though they are not masterpieces, could be a lot of fun to many people. Here again is another movie I decided to watch primarily based on the cast. I mean, with Neve Campbell, Kathy Bates and Danny Devito, I hoped I was going to get some satisfaction at least, and I was certainly right. I thankfully came across this movie because it was at a video store near me that I went to all the time that carried a lot of obscure movies, among popular ones of course. I most definitely did not find it because it had any publicity or anything, which is why it is so unknown. Relative Strangers is all around very fun and entertaining, and well worth the time.
While it is not a masterpiece, like I said, I enjoyed it a lot and thought it was a well made film, regardless of minor mediocrities due to budget and indistinguishable crew members (I mean, the director was only known for the Meet the Parents series basically, if anyone knew him for that), and also I do realize it is not the greatest film ever. I got the movie for the cast as I have mentioned, that's it, and that is another reason why I enjoyed it as much as I did. Though the film is not necessarily fantastic on it's own, the cast is wonderful and works with the material amazingly. Neve Campbell and Kathy Bates are a delight for me at least in any film anyway.
The story is not amazing and the other main actor, whose name escapes me if I ever knew it in the first place, is not as enjoyable as the other three really well known stars, but it's genuine enjoyability, if you loosen up, is what makes this film come through in the end. So should you give Relative Strangers a chance if you happen to come across this comment? If you know you will be able to like it for what it is, a fun and endearing little speculation, then most definitely, because it is just a very fun movie with some heartwarming qualities. I was very pleased with the outcome, and am glad I had the chance to view it. Do not even pay attention to it's ridiculous rating.
While it is not a masterpiece, like I said, I enjoyed it a lot and thought it was a well made film, regardless of minor mediocrities due to budget and indistinguishable crew members (I mean, the director was only known for the Meet the Parents series basically, if anyone knew him for that), and also I do realize it is not the greatest film ever. I got the movie for the cast as I have mentioned, that's it, and that is another reason why I enjoyed it as much as I did. Though the film is not necessarily fantastic on it's own, the cast is wonderful and works with the material amazingly. Neve Campbell and Kathy Bates are a delight for me at least in any film anyway.
The story is not amazing and the other main actor, whose name escapes me if I ever knew it in the first place, is not as enjoyable as the other three really well known stars, but it's genuine enjoyability, if you loosen up, is what makes this film come through in the end. So should you give Relative Strangers a chance if you happen to come across this comment? If you know you will be able to like it for what it is, a fun and endearing little speculation, then most definitely, because it is just a very fun movie with some heartwarming qualities. I was very pleased with the outcome, and am glad I had the chance to view it. Do not even pay attention to it's ridiculous rating.
Imagine the cruelty of adoptive parents to tell an unsuspecting son that he is adopted? To make matters worse, the Claytons, a rich couple, have waited a long time to spring the news to Richard, who is about to get married! This is the premise for this comedy created by Greg Glienna, who also contributed to its screen play. The film, which went directly to video, never had a chance to make it commercially, in spite of the prominent figures in the cast. In fact, the film seems to this viewer as a variation of the more successful "Meet the Parents", which employed Mr. Glienna as a writer. Not that this film is horrible, by any means, but it appears the powers that be must have had doubts about its impact and sent it to the DVD limbo.
Ron Livingston, who is seen as Richard, the man who is told he has been living a lie, is quite good and shows a flair for comedy. Neve Campbell is also effective in playing the object of Richard's love. The combination of the vulgar Meneres as played broadly by Danny Devito and Kathy Bates have some good moments. Christine Baranski and Edward Herrmann play the Claytons, the uptight adoptive parents. The one that is hardly recognizable is Beverly D'Angelo, who must have gone through a procedure to change the way we remembered her.
Ron Livingston, who is seen as Richard, the man who is told he has been living a lie, is quite good and shows a flair for comedy. Neve Campbell is also effective in playing the object of Richard's love. The combination of the vulgar Meneres as played broadly by Danny Devito and Kathy Bates have some good moments. Christine Baranski and Edward Herrmann play the Claytons, the uptight adoptive parents. The one that is hardly recognizable is Beverly D'Angelo, who must have gone through a procedure to change the way we remembered her.
Did you know
- TriviaCalifornia Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger greeted his Jumeaux (1988) costar Danny DeVito on a location set to congratulate him on his efforts to produce the film in California, rather than succumb to the tax lures and lower labor costs offered by other states. DeVito acknowledged that he had to persuade the film's cast and crew to take pay cuts in order to offset the lower production costs that other states offered. They're "working for much less than they normally work for".
- GoofsIn the first shot of Frank and Agnes sunbathing in the yard, Frank is barefoot; in the next shot, he has his sandals on with no time to have put them on.
- Quotes
Agnes Menure: That's an old joke!
Frank Menure: So's your face!
- Crazy creditsWhen the credits end completely, the last thing we see is Frank's parents as babies.
- ConnectionsFeatures The Jerry Springer Show (1991)
- SoundtracksAc-cent-tchu-ate the Positive
Composed by Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer
Performed by Jack Sheldon
Published by Harwin Music (ASCAP)
Arranged and Produced by Steve Edwards
Executive Producer Ashley Miller
- How long is Relative Strangers?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Relative Strangers
- Filming locations
- Chicago, Illinois, USA(opening sequence)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $155,340
- Runtime1 hour 26 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content