About Alex - C+

Rated R, 96 minutes

Heartfelt but bland "About Alex" holds few surprises

Jason Ritter is Alex in "About Alex"

The engaging, well-acted new dramedy "About Alex" is essentially a millennial version of "The Big Chill" just less revelatory and more predictable. A circle of twenty-something friends (Jason Ritter, Aubrey Plaza, Max Greenfield, Nate Parker, Max Minghella, Jane Levy and Maggie Grace) reunite for a weekend away after one of them suffers an emotional breakdown and suicide attempt, opening up a load of emotions and differences that threaten their relationships. Written and directed by Jesse Zwick in his feature film debut, the ensemble dramedy "About Alex" is an appealing but bland ensemble comedy for twenty or even thirtysomethings that won't hold much excitement or satisfaction in the end. It's well-acted by a group of familiar faces, with "New Girl's" Greenfield (in the douch bag/Jeff Goldblum "Chill" role) and "Parks and Recreation" Plaza (one of my favorite actresses) stealing most of the scenes with the best lines, and even though the movie is about him, Ritter's Alex is the most vanilla of this group. It's all handled serviceably by Zwick, though the plotting holds few surprises and it doesn't feel real life (beginning with the fact that if you can get more than one 20 or 30-something to actually clear their schedule for an extended weekend like this - good luck), especially when they decide to light up mid-film, and what comes after, in "Big Chill"-esque form. Likable, well-acted and with a few absorbing scenes, "About Alex" isn't terrible, but it isn't terribly original or genuine, either.

Wes's Grade: C+