Romances are a dime a dozen and each new crop tries to outdo the last, but not many succeed. With Save The Date, however, it’s a fun film that explores the fears of commitment with a different kind of twist that highlights the vulnerability of its characters. Nicely directed by Michael Mohan the movie is now available on DVD.
The film centers on Sarah (Lizzy Caplan) a special kind of ink to paper artist whose drawings are about her relationships and friendships. She’s romantically involved with Kevin (Geoffrey Arend) the lead singer in a very popular rock band that tours the USA. Playing at a home gig, Kevin takes the opportunity to express his love for Sarah by asking her hand in marriage in front of a crowded hall of fans. Embarrassed by the sudden offer, Sarah flees the joint with Kevin following her. When the two settle long enough to talk, Sarah says she wants to end the relationship leaving Kevin dumbfounded.
Sarah’s sister Beth (Alison Brie), who’s getting married to Andrew (Martin Starr) one of the band members finds herself in a quandary, but decides to support her sister. With the wedding months away, and Sarah being the maid of honor, Beth ignores Andrew’s attempt to have her intercede for the forlorn Kevin. Sarah moves on quickly and starts to rebound by dating Jonathan (Mark Webber) a divorcee who she met at the bookstore where she works. When Sarah throws a monkey wrench into the wedding and her personal romance, things get way out of control.
I like the cast in this little film very much and Lizzy Caplan leads the ensemble with a great characterization of Sarah. She’s a lovely gal with her big eyes that are so expressive, they would melt anyone’s heart and when she focuses them on Jonathan, you can see him fall for her charms. In Save The Date she’s the thread that keeps it all together and makes the film work.
Other nice displays of acting include Geoffrey Arend as Kevin the guy who got dumped by Sarah. He does a great job of going from a big ego to a driveling heartbroken guy who tries to get himself back into the fray for Sarah. Alison Brie makes her character a tennis ball being batted back and forth between the players. Her wedding is supposed to be the event of the year, but between her sister’s romantic interludes, a secret that Sarah’s not telling her, and her own fiancée’s challenges involving Kevin, she gets pushed to the side.
Michael Mohan makes his film a challenging romance all around with some very good scenes that shine. He settles his audience into the affair between Kevin and Sarah showing a failed sexual relationship between the two, and then introduces Beth and Andrew’s connection with the band and the wedding, setting his audience up for a series of situations that twist and turn with every added outside stimulus.
Save The Date has been rated R for sexual content, language and brief drug use so make sure the kiddies are in bed before sliding the DVD into your player.
There are a few bonuses but the main two follow:
- “Deleted Scenes with Commentary” – There are a couple of scenes that director Michael Mohan deleted from his movie and he will tell you way. Actually I do not agree with his reasons even though one is crude and the other may be questionable.
- “Making of Mini-Comic”- this is probably the most unique showing of how the film came about, how the actors were chosen, script note, and more, all put together as a newspaper comic strip. It’s amazing and one of the best special features I’ve seen on a DVD.
The following special features are also included on the DVD: “Commentary with writer/Director Michael Mohan”, “Accidents” a music video, and the film trailer
The DVD video quality is good and projects the colorful film real well. The only problem I found with my DVD was a lighting issue that pops up in several scenes. That said it takes nothing away from the plot or the actors performances. The Widescreen presentation fills the whole screen on my 16×9 HD Television.
The sound quality using the available 5.1 Dolby Digital is extremely good played on my television speakers and my compatible special sound system. The dialogue is very understandable and the special effects sounds enter the room from the sides on my surround system.
FINAL ANALYSIS: An enjoyable romantic piece with good acting and direction. [rating=4]
Specifications and additional film information:
- Cast: Lizzy Caplan, Geoffrey Arend, Alison Brie, Martin Starr, Mark Webber
- Directed by: Michael Mohan
- MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, language and brief drug use
- Genre: Romance, Comedy
- Running Time: 1 hr 40 min
- Street Date: April 16, 2013
- Original Theatrical Release:
- Language: English
- Format: DVD
- Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital
- Video: Widescreen enhanced for 16×9 Televisions
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish
- Number of Discs: 1 Disc
- Distributed by: IFC Films
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
