Post Grad (D or 1/4 stars)
Optimist Ryden Malby (Alexis Bledel) wanted to have a big career since she was a child. Her plan: get good grades, nab a scholarship to an impressive college, & graduate near the top of her class. If the plan succeeds, and with her love of books ... she assumes that she'll get a job as an assistant editor at a high profile publishing house. But, for purposes of this flimsy plot, she is not offered a job there. Sad, angry, & disillusioned, her longtime platonic friend Adam (Zach Gilford) offers love & support. And her somewhat dysfunctional family - consisting of stubborn dad (Michael Keaton, where have you been?), frugal mom (Jane Lynch), weird little brother (Bobby Coleman), wack-a-doo grandma (Carol Burnett, where have you been?) - are sad that she must return to their nest, so to speak.
They're sad that Ryden hasn't achieved her dream job, but they'd like to her to be on her own, as well. And she continues to have no good luck; as her job applications keep getting rejected. But just when a frustrated Ryden thought that all hope was lost, a silver lining comes on the form of handsome next door neighbor David (Rodrigo Santoro, of 300). Their initial meeting did not go well, as her dad accidentally ran over his cat (a plot point I did not appreciate). But he forgives; not holding it against Ryden herself. And soon, David finds himself offering her a job. Is he the right guy for her? Is his job offer the right job for her? What of Adam? Can he make sense of her life? Everything culminates in a sadly predictable & too-low key manner.
This movie annoyed the heck out of me. And that's never a good thing. Is it downright awful? Well, no. But it's not a good movie, at all; it's not original, & it's irksome. Irksome: because I don't find the lead character that appealing. I don't like some of the decisions she makes (romantic, career, or life). The comedy is not 'funny'. And the whole film feels disjointed. Here, we're supposed to sympathize with this girl as she tries to find a job; but instead, the film introduces us to her whole family - where we witness their hijinks in various intermittent vignettes (grandma's imminent death, dad's arrest, her brother's box car race, etc.). Some of these situations are mildly humorous, & I love the actors, but the material they're given stinks.
These family vignettes interrupt the main thread that we're supposed to care about (which is Ryden & her strife). And not only do we not care about Ryden's romance woes, but we wind up caring more for Adam (Zach Gilford). How are we to cheer for her or that relationship near the end when the subplot barely had any screen time? No good. This film could have been a funny and/or interesting look at the plight of the 'post grad' in these economic times. Instead, it misses that opportunity by providing a bland, unsurprising, uneventful & dispiriting (given the decisions Ryden makes) film. Alexis Bledel is sweet, but not a leading lady I could care about. And as I conclude my review about her movie, I've already largely forgotten it.
They're sad that Ryden hasn't achieved her dream job, but they'd like to her to be on her own, as well. And she continues to have no good luck; as her job applications keep getting rejected. But just when a frustrated Ryden thought that all hope was lost, a silver lining comes on the form of handsome next door neighbor David (Rodrigo Santoro, of 300). Their initial meeting did not go well, as her dad accidentally ran over his cat (a plot point I did not appreciate). But he forgives; not holding it against Ryden herself. And soon, David finds himself offering her a job. Is he the right guy for her? Is his job offer the right job for her? What of Adam? Can he make sense of her life? Everything culminates in a sadly predictable & too-low key manner.
This movie annoyed the heck out of me. And that's never a good thing. Is it downright awful? Well, no. But it's not a good movie, at all; it's not original, & it's irksome. Irksome: because I don't find the lead character that appealing. I don't like some of the decisions she makes (romantic, career, or life). The comedy is not 'funny'. And the whole film feels disjointed. Here, we're supposed to sympathize with this girl as she tries to find a job; but instead, the film introduces us to her whole family - where we witness their hijinks in various intermittent vignettes (grandma's imminent death, dad's arrest, her brother's box car race, etc.). Some of these situations are mildly humorous, & I love the actors, but the material they're given stinks.
These family vignettes interrupt the main thread that we're supposed to care about (which is Ryden & her strife). And not only do we not care about Ryden's romance woes, but we wind up caring more for Adam (Zach Gilford). How are we to cheer for her or that relationship near the end when the subplot barely had any screen time? No good. This film could have been a funny and/or interesting look at the plight of the 'post grad' in these economic times. Instead, it misses that opportunity by providing a bland, unsurprising, uneventful & dispiriting (given the decisions Ryden makes) film. Alexis Bledel is sweet, but not a leading lady I could care about. And as I conclude my review about her movie, I've already largely forgotten it.