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.

Maybe it's somehow unfair that this movie was not distributed in the US (yet?). I have seen much worse movies and comedies that had less fun in them well distributed and promoted. However, I can understand the hesitations of the distributors. 'Relative Strangers' plays in a genre that has already squeezed all the juice, and makes no attempt to be something different.

Yet, the premises are good. What if you are a successful writer of self-control books and you found two weeks before your marriage with gorgeous Neve Campbell that your true parents are not the high-class couple that raised you but Danny DeVitto and Kathy Bates, a popular circus pair of failed clowns, throwing bad jokes and inheriting you nothing but a bunch of hereditary diseases?

Unfortunately, this is more or less where the fun of the movie stops. The rest is so predictable that you could have written the script yourself. Ron Linvingston is as funny as a evening news broadcaster, DeVitto and Campbell do their expected game, and only Kathy Bates is funny and looks comfortable and gorgeous (yes!) in her role, but this is not enough. Casting the stars is not enough for good comedy, you need something more in ideas and craziness which is definitely missing 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.