Featured DVD Review: Save the Date

April 15, 2013

Save the Date - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray

Note: The Blu-ray doesn't come out till June.

Save the Date is a romantic comedy that opened in limited release with a Tomatometer Score below 50% positive. It should come as no surprise that the film struggled to find an audience; however, it really struggled opening below the Mendoza Line. It should perform better on the home market, as romantic comedies do better with mainstream audiences than the do with critics or art house aficionados. But will fans of the genre want to check out this movie?

The Movie

The film stars Lizzy Caplan as Sarah, who we meet as she is preparing to move in with her boyfriend, Kevin. She's being helped by her sister, Beth, but while Beth is trying to encourage her, it is just makes Sarah more concerned about the level of commitment. Meanwhile, Kevin and Andrew, the latter being Beth's fiancee, are getting Kevin's apartment ready and having a discussion about Kevin's plan to propose to Sarah that night. Kevin does not realize how much anxiety the move is causing Sarah, if he did, he wouldn't be considering moving even faster. It's Andrew's suggestion that he proposes after their rock show. Even Kevin immediately recognizes it is a bad idea, and by the night of the big show, he seems to have soured on the idea of proposing at all. Unfortunately, common sense doesn't win out that night and he proposes. Sarah rejects him in a rather devastating fashion. (She doesn't just say no, she knocks the ring out of his hand and runs away.)

Sarah begins to adjust to her new single life, although Beth is convinced this breakup is merely temporary. Sarah also begins talking to Jonathan, who is a costumer at the bookshop she works at, and someone who she talked to the night Kevin proposed. Jonathan had seen her before and had spent some time working up the courage to talk to her, but that night was the first time he did. They do seem to hit it off. Kevin also tries to get over the breakup, but he's having a much harder time, especially after he learns video of his proposal has gone viral.

The situation gets even more uncomfortable after a night at a bar. Sarah is talking to Isabelle, who wants to use Sarah's art in a solo show. Beth repeatedly interrupts them in a ham-fisted attempt to get Sarah to call Kevin. This ends with Beth apologizing, and simultaneously insulting Sarah and she spends the rest of the night drinking and eventually falls asleep at the bar. Isabelle offers to drive Sarah home, but accidentally drives her to Kevin's place. Sarah decides to stay the night, because Kevin is on tour and there's nobody there anyway. Turns out she was mistaken. The breakup hit Kevin hard enough that they canceled the tour. At first, Kevin thinks Sarah had come to get back together. This time he's the one that is mistaken. It's an awkward end to a bad night.

There are a lot of awkward moments in this movie. In fact, there are a lot of moments in this movie. Some are touching, some are funny, some are sad, etc. However, while there are a lot of little moments, they didn't add up to a real whole movie. I kept waiting for the movie to build up to more than a few moments and to really draw me in, but it didn't happen. That's not to say it is a bad movie and it does have some really good quality. The acting is great, for instance. The chemistry between Lizzy Caplan and Alison Brie helps the movie immensely. It is worth checking out, it just doesn't add up to more than the sum of its parts.

The Extras

Extras begin with an audio commentary track with writer / director Michael Mohan. There are also three minutes of deleted scenes, with optional audio commentary, and two minutes of outtakes. There is a short music video and finally a mini-comic by Jeffrey Brown explaining how the movie was made. That's a good amount for a limited release.

The Verdict

Save the Date is a fine movie and it is worth checking out, but I'm not sure there's enough replay value to make the DVD worth picking up. It's a close call.


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Filed under: Video Review, Save the Date, Geoffrey Arend, Lizzy Caplan, Melonie Diaz, Martin Starr, Mark Webber, Alison Brie, Michael Mohan, Jeffrey Brown