'Post Grad' would like you to think it's being hip and edgy by telling the story of a fresh college graduate, who performed at the top of her class, but cannot find a job. These are the days we live in right? With the rock bottom economy, people coming out of college armed with degrees are being turned away in the job market. 'Post Grad' might work if it stuck to that story. Instead, it lures you in with the promise of a fresh look at getting started in today's market, then takes a 180 degree turn and heads full-force into cliché rom-com territory.
Alexis Bledel ('Gilmore Girls') plays Ryden Malby. She's just graduated from college and has her whole life planned out. First thing to do is land a sweet job at the largest publishing house in L.A. For some reason she didn't count on the other 30 people who were also applying for the job. This is the part of the story that has promise: Watching a girl who spent all her times studying and getting good grades get rejected time and time again. Hordes of unemployed people in this country know exactly how this feels. Too often movies portray characters that have cushy jobs, endless amounts of money, and all the time-off they could need. Here Ryden is fighting for a place in the workforce. After she finds out that she won't be getting her dream job,she has to resort to scanning the Help Wanted section.
Adam is Ryden's best friend. Adam is her complete opposite. He has no idea what he wants to do with his life. Does he want to go to law school, or follow his dream of becoming a musician? One thing he does know is that he likes Ryden a lot more than she likes him…and that's where the movie falls apart.
About halfway through, the capable storyline of trying to find a job in troubled economic times is completely overshadowed by shallow rom-com love contrivances. Adam wants Ryden, but Ryden wants the sexy Brazilian man who lives down the street. After the love triangle is introduced, the movie meanders in and out of plot lines, without a single connective thread to pull it all together. From buying coffins at a funeral home, to purchasing stolen belt buckles, to participating a soap box derby race straight out of the 'Little Rascals,' you may find yourself scratching your head at why some of this stuff is included. Bledel's lines are written in the fast-paced, hipster dialogue from the 'Gilmore Girls,' but here it just comes off as trite. Like they tried to mimic the way she talked in the TV show, and just ended up copying the words but none of the feeling.
'Post Grad' is a mess, with its only saving grace being Michael Keaton as Ryden's overly paranoid, but lovable father. A movie about him and his antics would have been far more satisfying and easier to sit through.
The AVC-encoded, 1.85:1 framed 1080p transfer is sharply detailed and looks just about as good as this movie could ever hope for. Fine detail – textures, facial details, and patterns – are all clearly defined and have a decided crispness that makes them pop. Colors are nicely rendered and skin tones never seem to take on the dreaded orange effect (although there are times where skin tends to be a tad brownish and darker). Blacks are even and deep, providing some revealing delineation. As far as technical defects, there are none. I didn't notice any dirt specks or errant source noise. This is a good looking Blu-ray, but it still wouldn't make anybody's lists of top video presentations.
Eek! 'Post Grad's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix leaves a lot to be desired. It's far from an immersive experience. Even busy offices, malls, and the soap box derby don't feature much in the way of surround sound. The cheery soundtrack does bleed into the rear channels, but sound effects don't. Dialogue is clear, if the center channel is turned up a bit, otherwise it comes off soft and at times unclear. This is a decidedly underwhelming mix. I don't expect much from a movie from this genre, but definitely more than we're given here.
Another shameful special features section that resorts to presenting everything in SD, except for the trailers that are provided with it. Also, there's no commentary to be found – probably for the best though.
'Post Grad' begins as a promising movie about finding a job in today's grueling job market, but winds up being a meandering, meaningless romantic comedy that never approaches a cohesive story structure. It's a rental at best, but my suggestion would be to save your time and money and skip it.
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