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In the summer, Chris Evans shared the screen with Iron man as he reprised his role as Captain America in the blockbuster sequel “Avengers: Age of Ultron”. As before, the film was a marvelous addition to the replicated Marvel Cinematic Universe which had become a franchise in and of itself. It had him fighting side by side with his comic book heroic counterparts, using high-tech special effects while throwing his enormous shield to save the good and righteous while saving the world once again.
As hummer comes to an end, Evans is now back in action with “Before We Go” which he is both starring in and directing. For his directorial debut, he took his considerable clout and fame and made a movie that couldn’t possibly be more different from the spectacles that have been his bread and butter. He attempts to save one individual, instead of the planet for an eternity, which makes this indie romance in comparison to Evans’ other works unremarkable. And to top it all off, special effects are non-existent which doesn’t help Ethan and Alice’s charm.
Somehow, these actors appear photogenic and charismatic; yet, they seem devoid of any on-screen chemistry as they portray non-existent characters in a shallow narrative. The fact that two strangers talking and walking at night reminds viewers of better films, largely The ‘Before Sunrise’, doesn’t help. Richard Linklater created these characters Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy two decades ago, and from the moment he introduced them, he made sure they had an inexplicable instant chemistry along with captivating conversations that forced the audience to stick around for the sunrise.
In “Before We Go,” the characters are so one dimensional and there is so little drama involved that it is impossible to care what happens to them from one second to the next, let alone over the course of an entire night in New York. (The script is credited to veteran Ron Bass alongside Jen Smoke, Chris Shafer, and Paul Vicknair). The sights are wonderful, however; Evans understood well enough to get other people from different departments to do their jobs. John Gulliverian, the cinematographer for “Like Crazy” and “About Time” makes Manhattan glitter and shimmer in the most romantic ways during the night, but there isn’t a whole lot inside that pretty packaging.
At Grand Central Terminal, we notice Evans’ character, Nick, in the distance where he is playing his trumpet in exchange for money. A beautiful blonde starts rushing towards him and in her attempt to get her phone, she accidentally drops and breaks it. This blonde is Brooks’ Eve who missed her 1:30 am train to New Haven. When Nick gentlemanly helps her while trying to jog her memory, she is rude and dismisses his help, despite the fact that her purse has been stolen and her phone has been broken.
Inconveniences like denied credit cards, a dying cell phone and not having cash for bus or taxi were rudely convenient throughout the night for both of these characters. So were detours taken in an attempt to gather money for the trip such as visiting old friends, bars, a psychic and a hotel party where they impersonated one of the performers and sang “My Funny Valentine” to the audience that was treated to a staged performance. These attempts did nothing but add to the absurdity of the film.
They walk slowly through the different downtown areas telling tales of their professional choices and lost romances while gradually disclosing their secrets and jumbled fears. The journey to ‘bring Brooke home’ in ‘Before We Go’ seems completely absent in order for the characters to finally accomplish it. One of the leading characters is a married art dealer who has the option of taking a rest during the day, and the other actor is a self-loathing, sad jazz musician who should have a massive audition the next day.
This in itself is not captivating. Assertions such as “sometimes you have to just make the choice and jump” do not by any means assist in defining these personas as characters. Brookes at one stage forces herself to reveal, “It’s complicated,” when asked to explain her marital situation. But does it really? She may be stuck in a rather confusing domestic environment, but resolving it is possible. This also goes for Nick, who is hopelessly in love with his ex-girlfriend Emma Fitzpatrick who ditched him six painful years ago. Time to move on buddy. You have the luck of looking like a kindhearted, Chris Evans.
And the recurring joke involving the two actors stopping at payphones and using them as time machines to give advice to their former selves is never funny. Not once. Not when modern Nick tells 2004 Nick to place bets on the Boston Red Sox winning the world series, the actor’s favorite team in real life.
You can tell Evans has some good artistic instincts here, and it’s refreshing to see him change gears and take on the more personal, revealing and intimate project as his first film. Let’s hope that next time he is in between blockbusters and looking for a creative spin, there are better scripts to choose from.
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