Before We Go Movie Review

Before We Go (2014)

Rent Before We Go on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Ronald Bass & Jen Smolka (screenplay) and Chris Shafer & Paul Vicknair (screenplay), Ronald Bass (story) & Jen Smolka (story)
Directed by: Chris Evans
Starring: Chris Evans, Alice Eve, Emma Fitzpatrick
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
A street musician helps a woman stuck in Manhattan make it back home to Boston.

Verdict
It's a cute romance that is a lot of wish and fantasy fulfillment, but that's not a bad thing. Two strangers meet and have an adventure. This is Chris Evans's directorial debut, and he did a nice job. The writing isn't bad either. This rises above the typical rom-coms. It falls into a few tropes, but misses the major ones.
It depends.

Review
While I enjoyed this movie, I have an issue with the very premise of it. This situation is predicated on the fact that two super attractive strangers meet. If he was scruffier, she would have run away. If she was ugly, he never would have made the effort. I get the premise, and don't hold this against the movie, but it's worth mentioning.

Nick (Chris Evans) is a nice guy and Brooke (Alice Eve) misses a train and acts like a complete jerk. I get that she's annoyed at missing the train, but he's trying to be nice. As I assumed, the movie is pulling the old them hating each other turns into they like each other.

The mystery that slowly unfolds is why Alice Eve has to get home in just a few hours. She has to beat her husband's flight home. Evans assume it's an affair, but she claims it isn't, despite stating her marriage is over if she doesn't make it back.

Before We go - Fun romantic adventure.

The movie is cute, though unrealistic. They have a fun adventure trying to get her back without any luck. The movie introduces me to the concept of graffiti hotel art where guests draw on the back of hotel artwork

In a sequence where the characters pretend a pay phone lets them communicate with their past selves, it provides great characterization.

They even visit a psychic who tells them he just tells them he isn't a psychic. He just tells people what he sees.

While I have an issue with directors starring in their own movies, this is competent. It could have been directed much worse.

While most of the night has been Evans trying to help her, Eve convinces Evans to talk to an old flame. Is this the trope where the best friend is really the love interest? Nick can't rekindle the old romance. He wanted her to be a good luck sign for his audition, but now he wants to skip the audition.

Eve's plot is that she discovered her husband cheated, left a letter to end their marriage and left. She realize she wants to make the marriage work and needed to get back home to destroy the letter.

The ending is melodramatic. What was on the note Evans wrote to Eve? A clue indicating the contents is when they play the telephone future game again and he tells his past self that you're going to want to tell her some things but don't do it. Don't ruin it. She already knows. Even without the clue, you can guess that the note is a thank you. A thank you for the night, the adventure, and the life help.

I'm glad they didn't consummate their romance, instead leaving it open. There was no need to go all in on that trope.