Suzanne Tenner/ Fox Searchlight Review in a Hurry: Former Gilmore Girl Alexis Bledel discovers that all her ambition post grad(uation) adds up to little more than tired montages of corporate life. Maybe Friday Night Lights hunk Zach Gilford will make all this nasty career stuff go away. Or not.
The Bigger Picture: Starting with a cute video blog to fellow college graduates, Post Grad quickly succumbs to indie flickness to become just another quirky family drama. It's a shame, too, since that opening, in which can-do gal Ryden Malby (Bledel) talks to the audience via her PC, is clever enough. Weirder still, why does Ryden forgo a computer for the rest of the story and use a newspaper to job hunt? Perhaps the opening was a late edition to the film since, sadly, nothing else about Ryden feels fresh.
Instead of searching for a career in today's employment-impaired society, Ryden copes with her family. Michael Keaton has been gone too long but this role feels beneath him. As Ryden's dad, he has little to do but doll out Beetlejuice attitude here and there. Ditto, Carol Burnett, as the wacky grandma who likes to take her family to funeral homes to try out coffins. These are stale jokes.
Even the charming Gilford, as Ryden's doormat of a best friend Adam, has nothing to do but be the one-liner guy.
As for Bledel, she's certainly likeable, but lacks any real charisma here. While Rory Gilmore was a charming, intelligent teenager, learning about her family and her place in the world, Ryden seems to lack Rory's brains—but is left with just her nervous tics.
The 180—a Second Opinion: Both TV alums have their fans, if you can endure the eye-rolling antics of Ryden's family, Alexis and Zach make cute enough to pass the time...barely.
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Also out today: Inglourious Basterds and Shorts.