movie review
Post Grad
Alexis Bledel Shines in Not-So-Bright Flick
“Post Grad” is one of those movies that’s fun while you’re watching it, but you probably won’t remember it the next day. Or even 10 minutes after you leave the theater.
It stars the adorable Alexis Bledel (“Gilmore Girls”) as Ryden Malby, a girl who’s just graduated from college and is ready to go out and conquer the world. Or at least her own little corner of it.
Ever since she was a little girl, Ryden has had a plan: get good grades in school, graduate from college with honors, and get her dream job at a prestigious publishing company. She’s done the first two, but getting the job? Not going as planned.
So Ryden moves back home with her family, which includes dad Walter (Michael Keaton), mom Carmella (Jane Lynch), little brother Hunter (Bobby Coleman), and grandma Maureen (Carol Burnett).
Meanwhile, her best friend since childhood, Adam (Zach Gilford, who plays Matt Saracen on “Friday Night Lights”), has been harboring a serious crush on her forever, only Ryden just sees him as a friend. She’s much more interested in the hot Brazilian guy next door, David Santiago (Rodrigo Santoro), who actually helps her land a tie-over job as an assistant where he works, directing infomercials. He’s not so happy with his job either, though.
The strong part of this movie is Alexis Bledel. She’s sweet, funny, and cute. She could handle a leading role if the rest of the movie was good, but this one just isn’t. I love all of the actors, and it’s nice to see Michael Keaton in a movie again. But the characters are somewhat one-dimensional.
Keaton plays kind of a kooky dad who’s always looking for that next big thing; Jane Lynch seems like she did this role in her off-hours while writing her grocery list; Carol Burnett is the also-kooky grandmother who decides she needs to pick out a casket now before she dies; Zach Gilford is the sweet and adoring guy-next-door who never gets the girl; and so on and so forth.
You get the drift. There’s really nothing new here, and Bledel’s character isn’t strong enough to carry the movie on her own. Still, it does have a good message about the importance of family and following your dreams, even if those dreams change over time and you need to be conked over the head to figure that out.
Ivan Reitman is the producer, which is surprising because most of his recent projects have fared better, including “Disturbia” and “I Love You, Man.” By the way, his daughter, Catherine Reitman, plays Bledel’s college rival, Jessica.
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