Film

The Daytrippers

Name: The Daytrippers
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: 1997
Cast: Hope Davis, Pat McNamara, Anne Meara, Parker Posey, Liev Schreiber

Family drama

A deceptively simple premise—a wife finds a love note and drags her whole family into the city to confront her husband—becomes a freewheeling exploration of marriage, desire, and how well we actually know the people we live with. Shot in bright, almost theatrical tones, it's a comedy that doesn't punch down and a drama that doesn't wallow. For people who like smart ensemble pieces and don't need everything resolved.

TMDb rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like rambling family road trips where the funniest moments come from people saying the wrong thing and nobody quite knowing how to fix it.

Skip it if you need a plot engine pulling you forward, this loose wander of conversations and detours may feel aimless, since its anxiety rarely builds into anything you can point to.

What it asks of you: around ninety minutes of unhurried conversation, long stretches of car-ride talk and awkward pauses, with patience for scenes that go nowhere on purpose.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

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Walking and Talking1996

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Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Daytrippers

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Stalker1979

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Parenthood1989

Ron Howard's ensemble about four generations of the Buckman family. Honest about marriage, parenting, and ambition without ever becoming saccharine. Great cast at ease with each other.

But Occasionally veers into sentiment. Some plot threads resolve too neatly. The 80s earnestness won't appeal to everyone.

Mistress1992

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But The premise could be deeply misogynist but isn't—which some viewers find unconvincing. Feels more like a sketch collection than a plot.

The Wife2017

Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce as a long marriage that has not been what it seemed. Brilliant performance-driven film about resentment, erasure, and the question of who gets to tell the story.

But Hinge-plot heavy. If you guess the turn early, the second half can feel slow. Some find Close's accent-work distracting.

Junebug2005

Amy Adams, Celia Weston, and David Dukes as a Southern family—sharp, complex, and achingly specific. Small film with an enormous emotional reach. About class, religion, and kindness as a choice.

But Quiet and regional. Doesn't explain itself to outsiders. The third act turn will devastate or frustrate depending on what you brought to it.

Rachel Getting Married2008

Anne Hathaway in a wedding weekend film that's really about addiction, forgiveness, and families that don't quite fit back together the way they broke. Restless, handheld, alive.

But The handheld camera is intentional and relentless. Hathaway's character is exhausting to spend time with, which is the point but not always easy to sit with.

Yi Yi2000

Both films trust their ensemble to carry the weight. Both believe that how we treat each other in a car, or at a table, matters more than what we're ostensibly doing.

Edward Yang's Taiwanese family epic—three generations over a year, weddings and funerals and ordinary Sundays. Shot with such tenderness that it transforms everyday life into poetry. One of cinema's great achievements.

But Mandarin-language, 173 minutes, no plot to speak of. Requires surrender. The gentleness may feel like nothing is happening.