About Alex

This movie has a great cast. It is a surprisingly lovely take on the issue of suicide. My daughter and I have watched it about a dozen times.

It hits all the right issues about modern isolation and the nature of friendship, but it hits on them only tangentially and without any depth. And it doesn't really use its theme to its advantage very well. If there's one very positive thing I can say about this movie it's that once a scene gets going it starts to really get going. And then the scene ends way too soon and we're left with a sense of incompleteness. It's as if the director didn't want the players to do too much "acting" to get in the way.

The set-up is weakly explained, the relationship dynamics are barely believable, and the resolution is too neatly tied up. But if you like some of the actors, it will be a pleasant if not terribly worthwhile experience. Overall, it was a missed opportunity to explore how technological progress has affected how we make and sustain friendships in a post-Big Chill world.

Alex (Jason Ritter) attempts to kill himself in his family home. His college friends gather to visit him. Ben (Nate Parker) and Siri (Maggie Grace) are married and facing difficult issues. Josh (Max Greenfield) is the malcontent who wants to confront Alex about his suicide attempt. Sarah (Aubrey Plaza) is tired of her job. Isaac (Max Minghella) brings his young girlfriend Kate (Jane Levy) who used to work for him.

This is basically a reworking of The Big Chill with some interesting actors from the new generation. I really don't want take away points for copying by new filmmaker Jesse Zwick. The biggest change is the lack of popular music. Nobody is dancing with their breakfast in this one. The best aspect is someone like Plaza stretching out a little. She shows that she can be a very compelling dramatic actress. This has some of my favorite actors around in a familiar movie setting.

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.

Yes it is basically a remake of The Big Chill, but different in the sense that these people are younger than those characters. Not only that, the actors look even younger than they are supposed to be. Well, another depiction of Godless millennials who don't believe in anything, and fall apart due to the petty, neurotic emptiness of their lives. But movie people write about what they know, so don't be surprised. Having said that, the physical setting is beautiful, the acting is genuine and snappy, and the suicide theme is not milked too hard. Also, it does not have an obnoxious Greatest Hits of an era soundtrack like that other movie had. Thankfully. They could have created more original, complex, and nuanced characters than these cliched ones. But I guess they wanted to keep it light. No one manufactures anything or fixes anything. They all work in service and money related professions. No one served in the military or speaks of volunteer work or religion, although one gal works at a suicide prevention center. Although they were too self-absorbed to notice the warning signs that their friend was in trouble, they were caring enough to show up to support him later. The worst mistake of the script was not giving us a bit more back story on why our attempted suicide guy was so unhappy.