Delayed Reaction: Before We Go

The Pitch: Chris Evans and Alice Eve do a Before Sunrise in New York.

How I Came Into It: It took me off guard when I heard that Chris Evans directed this (in his directorial debut). I like Chris Evans. I just didn't expect this. He's still pretty young. He's very busy these days. Also, there's something about needing to stay in superhero shape that makes me assume someone wouldn't have any time for anything else.

Why I Saw It: Chris Evans and Alice Eve are both actors I've liked in the past. It's not at all difficult to see them as two people who would hit it off. Even when done poorly, I'm a sucker for the Before model. I like that it's a no-frills story. It's mostly the two leads walking and talking. Most days, that's all I really need. There's enough moments that work between Evans and Eve that I don't regret watching this. And, I don't know if it was pulled from something else, but I loved the line "Why is it that any one decision always seems too small to be the biggest decision in your life?", even if I can imagine the screenwriter smugly patting himself on the back when he came up with it.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: This bends over backwards to move the story along in the desired direction. There is very little that's allowed to happen naturally. The story works hard to create circumstances to bring and keep these two together. Any time a movie relies on a phone dying and a purse being stolen to move into a story, that's a tough amount of contrivance to overcome. Even later on, things like being confused for the band or the fortune teller being "open" in the middle of the night are just too convenient. There's a disconnect between how grounded the movie is trying to be and the over-eventfulness of the plot. I'd like to think that Evans and Eve are good enough to pull this movie off without the plot getting in the way so much.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend