There's a big problem with Chris Evans' debut. That problem is cell phones.
To rewind a little bit: the film is about an incredibly handsome but sad busker (Chris Evans) working at Grand Central Terminal in NYC. Playing for the late crowd he stays long enough to see a woman (Alice Eve) rush out to catch the last train out. Her cellphone smashes as it falls out of her bag as she passes by. He does the right thing and tries to return it to her which is easy as she's missed the last train out. And she's been robbed. And being a poor busker despite his valiant attempts to be gentlemanly and help this woman this man, Nick, has no money. Also HIS cellphone is dead! And on it goes...
It is perfectly plausible in real life that these inconveniences would pile up. In a movie it begins to stretch the boundaries of plausibility, especially since any person watching the film will know it's a romance and that these two attractive strangers will now be doomed to wander the city alone at night together slowly confessing secrets to one another and falling in love... Because yes, this belongs to the little cottage industry of Before Sunrise imitators. Before Sunrise for those not in the know, is a delightful little walking and talking movie from 1995. It also features two young gorgeous heterosexuals walking around a city (Vienna) and falling in love. Unfortunately for all the little imitators that have cropped up since, Before Sunrise is not as simple as it looks. It features two actors with great chemistry, a really genius script, and it takes place in the 90s when cellphones, credit cards and access to the internet weren't as ubiquitous as they are now.
Unfortunately for Before We Go it really pales in comparison to a movie made nearly 20 years previous. Not only does the script not really ever get a handle on the cell phone issue (and I was reminded while watching this of Fort Tilden an excellent contemporary film about getting lost in a city where the characters have access to cellphones and ready cash and still manage to screw up their lives in increasingly hilarious, and yes plausible, ways) but the dialogue isn't that great either the reveal of why Alice Eve's character had to catch that train is dumb. The solution to her problem, when it comes, is dumb AND EASY.
Chris Evans fans will be pleased though. The guy has charisma in spades and once Alice Eve's character gets over her fear that this guy Nick might be a creep rapist stalker, he's able to romance her with seductive looks. If you find Evans attractive and are willing to suspend your disbelief about how absurd a situation can get then by all means, watch this movie and allow yourself to be seduced by the romance. For everyone else it should be a hard pass.
To rewind a little bit: the film is about an incredibly handsome but sad busker (Chris Evans) working at Grand Central Terminal in NYC. Playing for the late crowd he stays long enough to see a woman (Alice Eve) rush out to catch the last train out. Her cellphone smashes as it falls out of her bag as she passes by. He does the right thing and tries to return it to her which is easy as she's missed the last train out. And she's been robbed. And being a poor busker despite his valiant attempts to be gentlemanly and help this woman this man, Nick, has no money. Also HIS cellphone is dead! And on it goes...
It is perfectly plausible in real life that these inconveniences would pile up. In a movie it begins to stretch the boundaries of plausibility, especially since any person watching the film will know it's a romance and that these two attractive strangers will now be doomed to wander the city alone at night together slowly confessing secrets to one another and falling in love... Because yes, this belongs to the little cottage industry of Before Sunrise imitators. Before Sunrise for those not in the know, is a delightful little walking and talking movie from 1995. It also features two young gorgeous heterosexuals walking around a city (Vienna) and falling in love. Unfortunately for all the little imitators that have cropped up since, Before Sunrise is not as simple as it looks. It features two actors with great chemistry, a really genius script, and it takes place in the 90s when cellphones, credit cards and access to the internet weren't as ubiquitous as they are now.
Unfortunately for Before We Go it really pales in comparison to a movie made nearly 20 years previous. Not only does the script not really ever get a handle on the cell phone issue (and I was reminded while watching this of Fort Tilden an excellent contemporary film about getting lost in a city where the characters have access to cellphones and ready cash and still manage to screw up their lives in increasingly hilarious, and yes plausible, ways) but the dialogue isn't that great either the reveal of why Alice Eve's character had to catch that train is dumb. The solution to her problem, when it comes, is dumb AND EASY.
Chris Evans fans will be pleased though. The guy has charisma in spades and once Alice Eve's character gets over her fear that this guy Nick might be a creep rapist stalker, he's able to romance her with seductive looks. If you find Evans attractive and are willing to suspend your disbelief about how absurd a situation can get then by all means, watch this movie and allow yourself to be seduced by the romance. For everyone else it should be a hard pass.