Save the Date

Save the Date is a very enjoyable romantic comedy with a great cast and a fine script. No, it doesn't have any explosions or aliens from Mars – but neither does my life, so I could really identify with the characters in this little film. Lizzy Caplan is the shining light here, as the non- committal heroine, Sarah. She's joined by a number of actors with familiar faces, if not well- known names, ranging from Mark Webber as the new guy in her life, to her former "Freaks and Geeks" cast member, Martin Starr, who has graduated from playing Bill Haverchuck, perhaps the nerdiest character ever to hit television, to credible roles like this one, as Andrew, a rock drummer and future brother-in-law to Sarah. There's also some fine work by Geoffrey Arend, as Kevin, Sarah's fiancée at the story's start. The laughs are genuine and the characters are likable. As in the case of most rom-coms, you will not have to bust out your thinking cap to follow it or guess where it may lead, but then what's wrong with that? It's good clean fun all around.

You don't really have to Save the Date as it isn't really worth watching. Lizzy Caplan (Cloverfield, Bachelorette) stars as indecisive Sarah, who runs from her long-term relationship with a musician (Geoffrey Arend - 500 Days of Summer, Devil) when he decides to propose to her during the encore of one of his concerts. Sarah's sister Beth (Alison Brie - "Community", "Mad Men") is getting married and while she loves her sister they don't always get along (and Sarah NEVER takes her advice). We get an hour and a half of this as Sarah starts a new relationship with Jonathan (Mark Webber - For a Good Time Call, Scott Pilgrim vs the World) but then begins to question that too when he turns out to be "too good".

This is another tale of a thirtysomething struggling to figure things out ... and this could become a brand new sub-genre of drama. Save the Date doesn't really give an audience anything new to enjoy or appreciate cinematically ... we are just getting another version of this oft-told experience/story. As this one never rises above what we have already seen, it isn't anything to recommend (unless you really like Caplan of course ... whom I wish would get the perfect role someday -- and this isn't it!).

Thanks for asking us to Save the Date, but I will regrettably decline as there is surely something more interesting to watch.

While the story was not that original the performances were great as was the cinematography. However, given the cast I expected this to be a lot funnier than it was.

I had high expectations for a comedy starring Alison Brie and Lizzy Caplan and boy was I let down.

Save the Date is a basic romantic comedy, 2 sisters with different views on relationships, love, sex and marriage. 3 guys. Angst, drama, bad puns and ridiculously predictable plot lines.

Is this a bad film? No. Is it in any way, shape or form worth a recommendation? No. I can't even think of more things to write about the movie because it was such a generic film. If you love one of the actors involved - go on, watch it - but if you want to see a good (romantic) comedy there are a thousand other, better choices.

Though I can't deny that the film's storyline is overly clichéd and hence predictable as the story goes, I still stand by the reassuring assumption that Save the Date is one of the year's most watchable independent romantic comedies. While the film tries too hard to be fresh – and ultimately fails – it promises a perfectly laughable and heartfelt experience, making a good use of the catchy soundtrack and its cast of many promising indie-regulars. After a short conversation with Michael Mahan (during the American Film Festival in Wroclaw), the director of this picture, I rest assured that Save the Date aspires to be mostly an enjoyable and entertaining comedy and that's its unquestionable strength.

Saying that the story exemplifies a real-life one would be perhaps an overstatement, but admitting that the viewers can identify with the characters and the issues that they need to cope with would definitely be all right.

There is romance, sex, marriage, and pregnancy; there are break ups, fights, rock concerts, dances, and parties. Ironically so, the film doesn't seem dull even though it is a mash-up of all those things.

What's more, as corny as it may sound, Save the Date illustrates everything that the word 'indie' brings to mind these days: indie music, indie actors, indie dialogues (words like 'like', 'awesome', 'cool', 'dude' – you know what I mean), indie vibe even.

Save the Date is definitely not a movie for everyone. It's more of an evening-on-the-couch type of thing than a real deal, but still I would recommend it to everyone who is in need of a light-hearted kind of entertainment. Also, admirers of Lizzie Caplan will observe how she – once again – shows her true potential, gradually turning into a rom-com favorite.