'About Alex' is the story of seven college friends who reunite over a three-day weekend, after one of them attempts suicide. When the friends get together to keep an eye on Alex, the weekend that ensues will renew old crushes and resentments, shine light on bad decisions, and ultimately push friendships and relationships to the brink as the group tries to speculate when the simple life of their college years turned so muddy and complex. Sometimes irreverent, sometimes poetic, and always moving, About Alex is a searingly honest look at the changing nature of adult friendship in the Facebook/Twitter generation. Written by

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Nicole of ArchonCinemaReviews.com from United States
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Five college friends and a plus one physically come together to watch a friend after he tries to commit suicide but in all other regards they spend the majority of the weekend egocentrically delving into their own unresolved self-generated baggage.

It is hard for a film, when it's basically a remake pretending not to be because this time the suicide victim isn't a victim but an attemptee but is hypocritically self-aware and gives homage to its predecessor, to do what it wants authentically without resembling a rip-off. And, fair warning, I have seen The Big Chill, and unintentionally watched it again a week before watching About Alex.

From the get-go you know to expect self-indulgent intellectualisms but About Alex is nothing but pretentious ramblings, giving it a loathsome hipsterly quality. The atmosphere of the entire movie is bordering on combative as they angrily banter through the tension. Maybe this was a deliberate decision from writer/director Jesse Zwick; to put a mirror to the disjointed self absorbed nature of the generation and act as a representation and critique of the Facebook age. One would think that people coming together to help another through the days immediately following a suicide attempt would be kind and loving but for the most of the movie you forget they were even friends. The acting is good and roles fully formed, of which Jane Levy and Max Greenfield are most successful, but they can not save their faulted characters.

The directing and composition of shots was uninspired, average, and literal. There is an art to telling a story without having it plainly done with the characters' dialogue and that is completely missing from About Alex. This is evident from the very beginning when Zwick decides to waste five minutes showing: the suicide attempt, everyone getting the call about the suicide attempt and making their arrangements to go and deal with the suicide attempt. Instead he could have saved five minutes, had everyone somberly encounter one another, leaving the dialogue as-is where the true subject for being together is implied and pussyfooted around and then cut to the one friend left at the cabin as he tries to clean the bloodstained bathtub. All conversations between two characters are over the shoulder framed close-ups that cut back and forth as they talk to one another.

I wanted to like this movie, the trailer had me so hopeful and the cast is sublime but About Alex is masturbatory and decidedly not The Big Chill of our generation.

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Clayton Davis (Claytondavis@awardscircuit.com) from New Jersey
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Large ensembles have the opportunity to say different things from different characters. Before screening at Tribeca, many were calling this "our generation's" Big Chill from 1984, which was directed by Lawrence Kasdan and nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Picture. While there are obvious similarities in the number of people who are present, and themes surrounding love and death, newcomer Jesse Zwick, son of producer/director Edward Zwick, pours his heart and soul into each frame and reinvents a masterful motion picture. About Alex is a raw and beautiful morality piece about where the late twenty- somethings are presently. I loved nearly every second.

About Alex tells the story of seven friends who reunite over a three-day weekend after one of them attempts suicide. As the friends take shifts to watch their unpredictable old friend Alex, past and new feelings come to the surface.

An all-star is assembled that includes Aubrey Plaza (NBC's "Park and Recreation"), Maggie Grace (Taken), Max Minghella (The Social Network), Nate Parker (Arbitrage), Jason Ritter (Freddy vs. Jason), Max Greenfield (FOX's "New Girl"), and Jane Levy (ABC's "Suburgatory"). Each one of the actor's know their parts, actions, motivations, and completely immerse themselves in the characters. In particular, the standouts include Greenfield, who continues to steal every frame, from every show or film he's in, and Plaza, who takes on a new departure for herself and succeeds.

Jesse Zwick, for his first writing and directorial feature, shows much promise of what could be an elaborate career. He handles his scenes with firm hands and a watchful eye of what he chooses to show and not show the viewer. He allows the surroundings, both inside and outside, become two new characters for the audience to embrace. Everything put together in About Alex is simply impressive.

There are some technical hiccups that the film suffers from. Choices made by the film's editor doesn't smoothly transition from one scene to the other. As independent films go, the film stands tall on its own merits but I would have liked a more polished final product.

All in all, About Alex is an absolute dream. Full of laughs and tears, the film raises the bar for this type of genre. It's a thoughtful piece that will have admirers for years to come. It's the best cast ensemble seen this year and of the Tribeca Film Festival.

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MovieLord23 from San Antonio
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Have you seen The Big Chill? Well, you've seen About Alex. It features a lot of similar aspects to that film only with younger people involved. Now having a similar plot is OK if the movie still stands up on its own feet, but About Alex just sort of settles into indie dramedy forgetfulness.

Good:The cast involved all do a good job. Maggie Grace finally has a character to work with after those Taken movies. Jane Levy getting some deserved screen time and Aubrey Plaza putting in some of that trademark dry humor. The men who include Max Greenfield, Nate Parker, Jason Ritter, and Max Minghella all do good work and bring some funny scenes.

Bad: Despite a good cast and conversations between the characters, the movie lacks any true emotional support. The fact that it borrows a lot from The Big Chill doesn't help, but it felt light in the drama department and it is just watching people being tense with each other which is good, but nothing memorable.

Overall, if you want to see a solid indie dramedy and you don't mind the overt comparisons with The Big Chill, then this is a good choice although it doesn't reach its potential.

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GoldieCharm from Chicago
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I just saw this movie and I am really hoping that many people will go see it. While I found myself comparing it to the Big Chill in several spots, the characters do a good job at making it their own. The casting is incredible. I was fully immersed in the story, hoping for certain outcomes in the character's lives, feeling deeply for some, finding comedic relief in others. Being that the attempted suicide by one member of this group of friends is at the heart of this "reunion", I have to applaud Jesse Zwick for not only taking it on, but for also not shying away from showing the many layers of human emotion that surround it ... the misunderstandings, outrage, fear and blame, guilt, and above all love and forgiveness, and hopefully different choices that can be made as an outcome. Good job to the new director/screen writer. You had me at hello.

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meaninglessbark from West Seattle
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The worst thing about About Alex is that it's not interesting. The film is pretty much like any other drama dealing with this sort of mid- young life crisis scenario.

The film looks great and is fairly well acted. The script is unimaginative and cringe inducing, but it's now worse that what one encounters on TV dramas when Things Get Serious. If you're looking for a mindless drama full of good looking people, sets, and locations About Alex would be an OK choice.

The characters are all clichés and particularly seem to be the sort of people a young writer trying to be serious comes up with. The characters are mostly horrible people, the sort you enjoy seeing die in a slasher film. (Spoiler alert: That sadly doesn't happen.)

The most interesting character is Alex, the guy whose attempted suicide is the catalyst for the story (though "story" is a bit of a stretch). Watching Alex's self centered, shallow friends complain and posture made me wonder if he'd had better friends would Alex have ever been in a suicidal state.

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contactsteverogers from United States
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This movie, About Alex, is such a copy/rip-off of The Big Chill, I honestly don't know how the Screen Writers Guild allows Jesse Zwick to pass this off as an original screenplay. Obviously, he changed the characters and dialog to update to the 21st century, but he has stolen outright so many elements from The Big Chill that there should at least be an acknowledgment, "Based on the Motion Picture..." like there are on other movies that rework original ideas for modern movies (e.g. The Evil Dead).

In The Big Chill, the character who commits suicide and inspires the reunion is Alex; in this version, there is also a suicidal character named Alex, though he is unsuccessful in his suicide. One of the characters in About Alex has a younger girlfriend not originally part of the group and she feels awkward around the others - there is a similar character in The Big Chill. Two of the characters hook up after many years, there is an obligatory dance sequence, a pot smoking scene, etc. All of this is straight out of The Big Chill.

At one point in About Alex, Aubrey Plaza says something to the effect of "This is like one of those movies in the 80s...". I've seen this same contrivance in other movies used as some sort of way to excuse the fact that the filmmakers have borrowed heavily from an earlier work, but personally I don't believe this is a way out from plagiarism. I know people like to quote, "plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery," but is is still plagiarism.

Maybe this would have been somewhat excusable if writer/director Zwick actually had something interesting to say and was able to formulate a movie that actually spoke to people. But instead, he just goes through the predictable motions of creating characters that are so redundant that they are now virtually stereotypes (the suicidal aspiring actor, the blocked writer, etc.) and having them speak a lot of trite "socially pertinent" conversation. I get the impression Zwick just made a list of all the so-called relevant issues of today's 20/30-somethings - e.g. technology, anti-depressants, lack of good pop music - and then planned his scenes accordingly. The end result is a script that is lazy and tepid and does nothing to stand out from all the other movies dealing with these same issues.

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Amari-Sali from http://www.amari-sali.blogspot.com/
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Trigger Warning(s): Suicide topics and imagery

It is very weird to see a film about suicide. If just because, to a certain degree, it forces you to realize how odd of a subject it is to approach. Like in the film, we watch Jason Ritter's character, post- suicide attempt, gain this weird peaceful look. A look which reminds you that suicide is caused by many things, but part of the reason comes from a call for help unanswered. Sometimes by friends or even a higher power. Leading to the question: is this film worth seeing or perhaps it should be skipped?

Characters & Story

After having a bit of a downward spiral due to finances, among other things, Alex (Jason Ritter) decided to slit his wrists. Something he seemed to regret doing for he calls an ambulance for himself, as well as his friend Ben (Nate Parker) (1) who orchestrates a meeting of all of Alex's old friends. This includes Josh (Max Greenfield), a bitter PHD candidate who seems to hate everything and everyone, though probably fears his own company for too long; Siri (Maggie Grace) who is Ben's current girlfriend, the girl Josh wanted before Ben met her; Sarah (Aubrey Plaza), who is an attorney who Josh messed around with since he couldn't have Siri; Isaac (Max Minghella) who is the richest of the group and often clashes with Josh; and then, focusing on Ben, Ben is the one who introduced Alex to everyone and seems to be Alex's rock. Though not when he was in a deep need for his friendship.

Leading us on what may feel like a familiar journey of college friends having a reunion, thanks to tragedy, in which their romantic entanglements come out; a lot of sex and drama happens; and ultimately you are left with a sense of hope for the characters, but aren't sure if it may last.

Praise

When it comes to this movie, I was really only familiar with Aubrey Plaza and Max Greenfield, who both really present themselves as actual actors, and oddly enough didn't approach their roles as one character fits all. Something which sort of shocked me, especially for Plaza, for it showed she had range. Aside from those two I must admit no one else really stood out, but they did present an interesting story and will keep you interested throughout. If just because you'll likely feel most of the characters are developed to the point where perhaps only Siri feels underdeveloped. Ben is a writer whose life isn't how he wants, and now has Siri who he loves, but is sort of growing apart from; Josh looks at Ben as this golden child who got everything he wanted, including things Josh himself wanted; Sarah is professionally successful, but romantically a mess; and Isaac we don't learn a huge amount about, but with his girlfriend Kate (Jane Levy) joining him, and through his interactions with Sarah, while his background may not be developed, through his relationships with Sarah and Kate we do get to know and understand him. Also, I should note, Levy's character, despite not being central to the story, is certainly interesting since she plays a 22 year old, just getting her career started, who is around a bunch of late 20 year somethings who are jaded, in their careers, and she is the outsider dating one of their friends.

Criticism

As confrontational as Josh is in the film about Alex's suicide, I feel that this film for some reason glazes over Alex's suicide just a bit too much so that everyone else's drama can get established and developed. With this though, Alex just becomes a catalyst for bringing everyone together and is largely forgotten about. And truly, after watching the film, only Sarah and Josh really stand out and everyone else strangely feel like their co-stars. Part of the reason is because Josh says things which get your attention, and Sarah is presented as more human than anyone in the film. For, in my opinion, as much as everyone does get the chance to be developed, between the information being boring, and their delivery not really getting my attention anyway, it really makes it so the film seems to sit on Plaza and Greenfield's shoulders.

Like with Ben and Siri, they are made interesting due to Josh's jealousy, but take that away Josh from them and they lose any of their draw. The same goes for Isaac and Kate to a point, if Sarah wasn't pining over Isaac since she sees him as the one who she should have been with, then they also lose a lot of what kept them relevant. Though, again, the biggest victim is Alex since after his suicide attempt, pretty much Josh's callous ways, and Sarah trying to dote on him, are the sole reminders that what brought everyone together was him.

Overall: TV Viewing

Perhaps this maybe wrong to say, but in light of recent events I was hoping this film would really explore what leads a person to suicide and also how it effects the survivors in terms of the guilt associated with them perhaps being capable of preventing the suicide attempt, as well as trying to work with the person if they live. And while those topics are mentioned, they get drowned out in everyone's personal drama to the point you wonder why this movie is called About Alex when in truth it is more about everyone but him. Though, even with that said, this was a good movie to me and is very watchable. But, with it not really hitting the topic of suicide hard, and letting the would-be supporting characters end up the stars, I have to say this film deserves the "TV Viewing" label.

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Knox D Alford III (knoxiii)
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My bias before viewing was an expectation of a massive boring failure that I would regret watching because it dealt with attempted suicide. I couldn't have been more mistaken. My reticence in watching was duly derived from substantial repetitive experiences from most all films of this type: one location with characters you never really get to know, complex back stories left unexplained, and dark subject matter. What a surprise was in store for me! In fact the sole reason drawing me to the film was the beautiful & talented Maggie Grace and a growing appreciation for Jason Ritter.

Friendship in a time where Facebook & texting have relegated meeting & talking to the fate that cd's rendered the 8 track, is a constant presence in my thoughts. So, it was invigorating to see college friends nearing 30 come together to support a friend, traveling from across the country for a whirlwind philosophical, confrontational, emotive, supportive & well paced weekend of collective personal growth. There were just enough characters to keep every minute fresh with information & few enough to not gloss over any single character & give each a quality part in the story without getting lost. This movie was extremely dynamic and as such, had no lulls.

It's been said, "what a difference a day makes". Lucky for the viewer, a weekend of real, old-fashioned, interpersonal exploration & reflection makes one powerful movie. There wasn't a single moral. There were many. Whether you experienced college or high school, or were close with your neighborhood friends, this movie will without a doubt hit home for you. It was interesting how the friends had achieved varied levels of societal & romantic success, yet fell right back into the rhythm of their group identities like only a summer had passed. This will be a familiar feeling to everyone. It wasn't a love fest full of sympathy & crying on shoulders, which would be totally natural & expected. It was engrossing because of the diversity of honest feelings & reactions that made the viewer easily identify with each character. All actors were grade A, & I look forward to enjoying their acting in future films. Ritter, his best friend, & Grace were the standouts & I was relieved to see Aubrey Plaza tone down her typical sarcastic personality. In doing so, she made her character more appealing & closer to the personalities of the collective cast.

I think viewers on average will rate this movie ranging from 6-9/10, but as you can see for me it hammered home an expectation-defying 8/10. I highly recommend this movie as a modern adaptation of "The Big Chill" without the killer soundtrack. It was as informative and enjoyable as much as it was provocative and insightful.

Knox D. Alford, III

Alex's tweet before his attempted suicide, "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man." is a line spoken by Mercutio before his death in William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet".
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friend|alcohol|boyfriend girlfriend relationship|twenty something|reunion|cabin|counsellor|marijuana|cooking|reunited friends|group of friends|millennial generation|sexual relationship|suicide attempt|forest|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Argentina:13 / Australia:MA15+ (2015) / Germany:12 / Netherlands:12 / Singapore:NC16 / USA:R