The movie supports a very well rounded cast including Anna Paquin, Josh Duhamel, Adam Brody, Malin Akermen, Katie Holmes, Elijah Wood, and Candice Bergeron. The movie is set around one night when seven college friends reunite for a wedding between the two of them with love triangles and other dynamics at play.
The characters in this movie were extremely well written and quite dynamic. They were flawed yet you could empathize with them. They had different dyamics with each of the other characters and at their core were extremely believable. These characters felt as though they were real people with their own traits and relationships within the seven. For whatever reason, I was expecting a lot of action in the plot but there wasn't. At first, I was disappointed. However then I realized that I had fallen into a Hollywood cliched mindset. The movie was a character study between these people during an important night in their lives. Somehow the movie was also able to capture this loss of idealism and hope in this bunch of people and their desperation to bring that inspiration back. After getting rid of my own expectations for the movie, I was able to appreciate this well written piece of work before me. I know some will downplay the cliche' of post grads 'not knowing what to do with their lives', but this was a different element. It was more about getting their inspiration back; None of these characters really had a Graduate complex.
Obviously this was a low budget film with most of the budget going towards the actors' salaries. The cinematography was obviously on the other side of the budget with little to no attention. The lighting was extremely horrible; when are there spotlights on you at the edge of a lake at night with only natural light? The film did not have the right iso to capture the low lighting and the sound seemed as if they just used the natural sound from the set. That being said, obviously this movie was focused on the characters and the writing and the director did not focus on this aspect of the movie, which in all likelihood the budget couldn't allow for anyways. Personally, I think this part of the movie is just as important, but to each their own.
I thought each of the actors were cast well in their parts. I especially think that Adam Brody and Malin Akermam were perfect fits for their roles, perhaps this is because they were also my favorite characters but who really knows. They gave good performances nonetheless. I was hesitant of Katie Holmes and if she would be able to pull off the delicate dynamic with Josh Duhamel's character. By the end of the movie, they had a definite relationship on camera; the beginning was a little iffy in my opinion. I read that originally Liv Tyler was cast for her part, I think Holmes was a better choice for the role out of those two. I was expecting to see Sookie Stackhouse in Anna Paquin's role however she did give us something different and she was also a good choice for the role.
Overall, I think this was a well thought out and well written movie. I would have liked to see more focus on the cinematic elements, but considering the budget I understand. Katie compared this movie to The Big Chill and St. Elmo's Fire, which I think is right on the money, but with a different generation. I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys these character heavy movies and don't expect a lot of plot action. The movie had it's shining moments and some others that could've used some polish but overall it was enjoyable. "I spent the night before my wedding in a closet. . . granted I was locked in by a groomsmen".
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