When the National goes on tour in 2010, singer Matt Berninger invites his younger brother Tom to tour with them as part of the crew. Tom aspires to be a filmmaker and documents the National being on tour, as well as the process of himself making a film about his successful older brother.
Critical reception
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 92% based on 61 reviews, with an average rating of 7.53/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "A suitably complicated look at fraternal bonds, Mistaken for Strangers offers more depth and insight than the usual tour documentary."[3] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4]
Jillian Mapes in her review for Pitchfork Media wrote "what may be the funniest, most meta music movie since Spinal Tap".[5] Ann Hornaday in her review for The Washington Post described it as "a funny, eccentric and finally deeply poignant depiction of art, family, self-sabotage and the prickly intricacies of brotherly love."[6]