Save the Date is not unlike Hello I Must Be Going (and, from what I understand, several more Sundance entries this year) in that it deals with twenty- or thirty-somethings struggling for purpose in those post-college years. In fact, there's nothing here that hasn't really been done before. But it's done well enough to make it worth seeing once.
The film centers on the relationship between two sisters, played by Lizzy Caplan and Alison Brie. The first undergoes a difficult break-up as the film begins, while the second is engaged and quickly approaching her wedding date. As Caplan's Beth distances herself from her ex, a customer at the book store she works at begins to catch her attention. Things get as complicated as they can in a movie like this, before they get resolved by film's end.
I wasn't familiar with Lizzy Caplan before Save the Date so she came as quite the surprise, easily handling both the comedic and dramatic elements required of her character. Martin Starr also had a handful of scenes where he actually had to play serious and I thought he was impressive there too.
Ultimately, Save the Date doesn't revolutionize the genre and sometimes it doesn't even improve on the formula, but charismatic performances from all of the major players make it a movie that's pretty hard to hate on.
Save the Date is competing in the US Dramatic Competition.
