There’s something so distinctly beautiful about Richard Linklater‘s refined, stripped down and deeply mature Before trilogy. It’s easy to see why people would want to mimic it. It’s two characters, interacting amongst gorgeous backdrops like prime European destinations, discussing life, love and anything-and-everything in-between. It’s not hard to film, and paves the way for hearty character development.
Based on the early reviews from last year’s TIFF, however, Chris Evans‘ attempt to capture that spark in-a-bottle with his directorial debut, Before We Go, didn’t quite work as well. Besides moving the two soon-to-be love-stricken strangers’ action to New York City, Evans’ movie looks strikingly similar — right down to the name — to what the series attempted before, with his character, musician Nick Vaughan, meeting lost young woman Brooke Dalton (Alice Eve) thanks to a train — this being one she missed, in addition to having her purse robbed — and having the charismatic, artsy bachelor sweep her away as they spend a long night together. At least, this is all what the first trailer implies heavily.
One of the main reasons why Linklater’s three movies were so compelling is thanks to a growing mystery he created in their relationship. It’s never particularly clear what’s going to happen, but you do know you like these two people, especially together, and you want them to be a couple/stay a couple throughout the course of their running times. With Before We Go, however, there doesn’t seem to be any mystery to their actions. It’s evident they’re going to make it through and find comfort in each other’s presence, and that kinda murders the tension. The dialogue, written by screenwriters Ronald Bass, Chris Shafer, Jen Smolka and Paul Vicknair, doesn’t quite have the same sizzle either. It’s all, ultimately, like a little too surface-level to shine.
I can’t confirm this, but the early reactions seem to prove this is the case. But maybe there’s more here. Eve has proven herself whenever she’s not forced to parade around in her underwear (Star Trek Into Darkness), and from different interviews, Evans suggests he’s a thoughtful, heartfelt filmmaker trying to find the right stories to tell and the right characters to explore in the process. Filmmaking can often be a process, though, and if this one hits the curb with a thud, maybe his sophomore effort hits the ground running.
Check out the trailer for yourself:
