Indie 90s: The Daytrippers (1996)
- Today, Sep 16
Today, Sep 16 @ 7:00 pm: 4K Laser Presentation
Director: Greg Mottola Run Time: 87 min. Rating: R Release Year: 1997
Starring: Anne Meara, Hope Davis, Liev Schreiber, Parker Posey, Pat McNamara
Country: Canada, United States
Language: English
Indie 90s: The Revolution That Changed Cinema
The ’90s didn’t just give us great movies, it changed what movies could be. Independent filmmakers that were breaking the rules, finding new voices, and reshaping American cinema.
Indie 90s features twenty-two films in all — all independent, all revolutionary.
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About the film:
With its droll humor and bittersweet emotional heft, the feature debut of writer-director Greg Mottola announced the arrival of an unassumingly sharp-witted new talent on the 1990s indie film scene.
When she discovers a love letter written to her husband (Stanley Tucci) by an unknown paramour, the distraught Eliza (Hope Davis) turns to her tight-knit Long Island family for advice. Soon the entire clan—strong-willed mom (Anne Meara), taciturn dad (Pat McNamara), and jaded sister (Parker Posey) with pretentious boyfriend (Liev Schreiber) in tow—has squeezed into a station wagon and headed into Manhattan to find out the truth, kicking off a one-crazy-day odyssey full of unexpected detours and life-changing revelations. Performed with deadpan virtuosity by a top-flight ensemble cast, The Daytrippers is a wry and piercing look at family bonds stretched to the breaking point.
About the filmmaker:
Greg Mottola is an American writer and director celebrated for the distinct blend of comedy, tenderness, and deeply human characters found in his storytelling. He made his feature directorial debut with the wry road comedy The Daytrippers (1996), which won the International Critics Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Mottola continued to focus on character-driven filmmaking, reaching a broader audience through more mainstream comedy films without sacrificing his independent sensibilities. His later features include the coming-of-age comedy Superbad (2007), the science-fiction comedy Paul (2011), and the period comedy Adventureland (2009), which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. His work in television includes directing episodes of Undeclared (2001-2002), Arrested Development (2003-2004), The Newsroom (2012), and Peacemaker (2025).
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