As the box-office and critical success of Wes Anderson's endearingly precious Moonrise Kingdom proves, a winning summer movie doesn't always need a nine-figure special-effects budget. In that vein, three recently released smaller films — Your Sister's Sister, Take This Waltz, and People Like Us — have received high praise from critics, with a fourth, Ruby Sparks, is coming later in the summer. Of course, over the Fourth of July holiday, plenty of people will flock to screenings of The Amazing Spider-Man, which hit theaters July 3 — but for moviegoers looking for something a little more mellow, here's a guide to the best counter-programming options:
1. Your Sister's Sister (released June 15)
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