The Mitchells vs. The Machines, based on an original screenplay by Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe, got off to an extremely difficult start with a pointless media opening followed by a voice-activated exposure dump explaining all the characters and their relationships – but through all of that lazy writing introduces the audience to the broken Mitchell family. Katie (Abbi Jacobson) is an aspiring filmmaker full of fantasy who is excited about going to film school, but at the same time her separation from her parents and siblings reaches a turning point. Rick (Danny McBride), her father, has never shown much interest in her films – an extension of the nature lover Luddite; Aaron (Rianda), her younger brother with a dinosaur obsession, is unwilling to say goodbye to his best friend. and Linda (Maya Rudolph), her mother, is concerned that the family is falling apart at the seams.
