Film

The Hollars

Name: The Hollars
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: 2016
Cast: John Krasinski, Margo Martindale, Richard Jenkins, Sharlto Copley, Anna Kendrick

Family drama

A modest family comedy-drama about an artist returning home when his mother needs brain surgery. It's warm and unglamorous, structured around small moments of chaos and genuine affection between people who annoy each other. For anyone who's ever felt caught between the life they wanted and the one they came from.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like family comedy that stays tender underneath the bickering, where small awkward moments carry more weight than big plot turns and the characters feel like people you half-recognize from home.

Skip it if you want sharp, fast jokes or a tidy story with clear stakes; this one wanders through its days, and its warmth arrives slowly rather than in punchlines.

What it asks of you: Under ninety minutes, it moves at an unhurried pace, asking you to sit with a crowded household and let the chaos settle into something quieter.

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

If you liked this

Manchester by the Sea2016

A shattering portrait of grief and family obligation that finds unexpected moments of levity. Like The Hollars, it understands that coming home often means confronting failure and loss alongside people you love.

But Relentlessly bleak. This is not a film that offers comfort, and the emotional weight doesn't lift even when the movie ends.

Rachel Getting Married2008

A family under pressure over a few days, with real actors playing people who wound each other thoughtlessly and then forgive. The handheld camera makes you feel trapped in the thick of it.

But No plot machinery. If you need events to happen, this will feel like watching someone else's family dinner.

Everybody Wants Some!!2016

Richard Linklater on young men figuring out who they are, with warmth and comedy that never condescends. The ensemble casting and loose structure echo what The Hollars does with a family unit.

But Plotless and meandering. Some viewers will find it shapeless rather than liberating.

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

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Nights in Rodanthe2008

Both films find their power in quiet conversations and second chances between people who thought their stories were finished. The setting is intimate, the stakes are personal, and there's no villain—just the ordinary damage of time.

A romantic drama about two people reconnecting during a storm at a North Carolina inn. It has the same DNA as The Hollars—small-scale, character-driven, about people rediscovering tenderness in middle age.

But A Nicholas Sparks adaptation that leans heavily into sentimentality. Some will find it too earnest and emotionally formulaic.

Liberal Arts2012

Josh Radnor writes and directs this gentle film about a college professor returning to his alma mater, wrestling with nostalgia and adult disappointment. Similar DNA of homecoming and small-town unease.

But Indie earnestness that can tip into self-indulgence. The whimsy occasionally overwhelms the actual emotion.

August: Osage County2013

A multi-generational family gathers when the patriarch goes missing. Sharp dialogue, an extraordinary ensemble cast, and real consequences beneath the chaos and dark comedy.

But Stagey and occasionally overwrought. The ensemble acting can feel competitive rather than cohesive.

Krisha2016

Ari Aster's debut uses non-professional actors and a semi-documentary style to explore family, addiction, and religious faith. The texture is close to how The Hollars feels—lived-in and unpretentious.

But Long, slow, and structurally unconventional. The emotional payoff is earned but not obvious.

Christmas, Again2015

A man selling Christmas trees in Brooklyn processes grief and displacement through small interactions and quiet observation. Intimate, funny, and curious about how people endure.

But Almost nothing happens externally. The entire film is texture and mood; some will find it too slight.

Togetherness2015

An HBO series about a marriage and friendships in Los Angeles, shot with naturalistic warmth and comedy. The show finds absurdity in ordinary domestic life in ways that feel honest rather than amplified.

But Two seasons only and the second falters; it's often painfully uncomfortable to watch people behave badly.

Girlhood2014

Céline Sciamma's film about teenage girls in suburban Paris captures friendship and identity with tenderness and humor. The ensemble dynamic and attention to small moments of grace match The Hollars' sensibility.

But Deliberately paced and quiet. The rewards are subtle; impatient viewers may find it slow.

Lean on Pete2018

Both films understand that coming home—or searching for it—is about confronting the gap between the person you hoped to be and the one you actually are. The genre is completely different, but the emotional archaeology is identical.

A boy and a former racehorse travel across America. It's a Western-tinged road movie that's actually about displacement, family failure, and how we make family from what's broken. Devastating and tender without sentimentality.

But The tone is elegiac and sparse; there's no plot resolution that feels like closure. The sadness is the point, not a problem to be solved.

Funny Ha Ha2003

The Hollars and Funny Ha Ha both resist conventional narrative momentum. They're interested in the spaces between decision points—how people talk, avoid each other, misunderstand, and gradually build affection. Both films trust small moments to carry weight.

Andrew Bujalski's micro-budget film about a recent college graduate drifting through Portland, Oregon. It's deadpan, awkward, and true; shot digitally on nothing, but it captures the texture of early adulthood with more authenticity than films ten times its budget.

But Virtually no plot, minimal production value, and a mumblecore aesthetic that predates the term. Patience required; it's a film for people who like cinema as observation rather than storytelling.