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Greg Mottola’s The Daytrippers is an exceptionally well done film about several members of a Long Island family who just don't know how to respect the ones they love.

Eliza (Hope Davis) finds a love letter in her husband Louis's (Stanley Tucci) belongings and immediately suspects that he's being unfaithful to her. She tells her domineering mother (Anne Meara) who then gathers the rest of the family together including her passive husband (Pat McNamara), her spoiled younger daughter Jo (Parker Posey), and Jo's boyfriend Carl (Liev Schreiber), an aspiring novelist. They all head off to Manhattan to confront Louis at the publishing firm where he works. On the way, their own relationships are revealed to be quite frayed. They also come across two other families under siege: a deadbeat dad and his older son, and two sisters squabbling over their dead mother's possessions.

It’s an understated film that may tip its hand a few times to the fact that this is a first-time director, but in a lot of ways that’s what makes it such a charming little adventure. While not a box-office smash, it did make over $2 million off of a $50,000 budget and springboarded the careers of nearly everyone involved who wasn’t already established in the industry. It also premiered at the first ever Slamdance Film Festival, where it won Best Picture.

Director: Greg Mottola
Cast: Stanley Tucci, Hope Davis, Pat McNamara, Anne Meara, Parker Posey, Liev Schreiber, Stephanie Venditto, Campbell Scott, Marc Grapey, Douglas McGrath, Jill Rowe, Andy Brown
Country: Canada, USA
Genre: Comedy, Drama

BD50, DVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 01:27:04 | 41.3 Gb + 7.49 Gb
Language: English
Subtitles: English

Extras:

• Commentary - this new audio commentary features Greg Mottola, editor Anne McCabe, and producer Steven Soderbergh. It was recorded exclusively for Criterion in June 2019.

• Mottola, Posey, Schreiber, and Scott - in this new filmed conversation, writer-director Greg Mottola and actors Parker Posey, Liev Schreiber, and Campbell Scott (who joins by phone) recall their collaboration on The Daytrippers. The conversation was filmed exclusively for Criterion in New York in June 2019. In English, not subtitled. (39 min, 1080p).

• Mottola and Davis - in this new filmed conversation, Greg Mottola and actor Hope Davis recall how they discovered each other, the progression of their careers, and their work on The Daytrippers. The conversation was filmed exclusively for Criterion in New York in June 2019. In English, not subtitled. (21 min, 1080p).

• The Hatbox - this short silent film -- which was also the first film that Greg Mottola shot and edited -- was made during the director's brief stint at Pittsburgh Filmmakers in 1985. It can be viewed with an audio commentary by the director. (5 min, 1080p).