Post Grad (PG-13, 2009)

Ryden Malby (Alexis Bledel) has always had a plan: Do well in school, get into the right college, nab a scholarship, graduate with honors, and get a plum job at the biggest publishing house in Los Angeles. But her dreams are no match for reality, which turns out to be a lot less glamorous. That perfect post-grad job? It went to someone else (her "frenemy," of all people). That apartment down the road from the glitzy office? No go, since she’s still unemployed. So she heads home to her parents’ ranch house in the Valley, where her dying (though still feisty) grandmother (Carol Burnett) wreaks havoc, as does the rest of her wacky family. Ryden starts losing faith in her dreams, but childhood friend Adam (Zach Gilford) is dependably supportive. But could hunky neighbor (Rodrigo Santoro)  drive Adam away for good?

You can sense Bledel straining against the band of those well-worn traveling pants. Here she plays older and (slightly) sexier, if not necessarily wiser. But Ryden is cut from the same cloth as other characters she's played before. Not to say that her performance (or the movie) isn't any good, though. In fact, as Ryden, Bledel is her usual sweet and charming self. It’s just not, well, very substantive.

Still, who cares about substance when the movie’s so much fun? Bledel and Gilford have a flirty but understated chemistry, and the plot, though predictable, nevertheless unfolds pleasantly. What elevates the film from the usual romcom is the rest of the cast -- specifically Burnett, who reminds us quickly why she’s an icon with her perfect delivery, and the uproarious coupling of Michael Keaton and Jane Lynch as Ryden’s parents.

Studio: Fox Searchlight
Director: Vicky Jenson
Cast: Alexis Bledel, Michael Keaton, Zach Gilford
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 89 minutes
Theatrical release: August 21, 2009
DVD release: January 12, 2010
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: sexual situations and brief strong language