Post Grad is a 2009 American romantic comedy film directed by Vicky Jenson and starring Alexis Bledel, about a recent college graduate who moves back in with her family while she figures out what she wants to do next.
Originally under the working titles of Ticket to Ride and then The Post-Grad Survival Guide, the film was released on August 21, 2009.
Plot
Ryden Malby (Bledel) graduates from college in the middle of the late-2000s recession and is forced to move back in with her parents, because her dream job has been given to her arrogant college bestie Jessica Bard (Catherine Reitman).
Ryden and her best friend Adam (Zach Gilford), who has had a longtime crush on her, must find a job for Ryden before she loses hope for her future dream as an editor of a big publishing company, but her ambitions for getting a job blinded her from noticing that Adam was giving up going to New York in hopes that one day she will feel about him the same way he does for her.
After a while, Adam gives up and goes to Columbia and Ryden gets her dream job, but realizes she isn't really happy and quits her job to go and live with Adam. They end up dating.
Cast
Alexis Bledel as Ryden Malby
Zach Gilford as Adam Davies
Michael Keaton as Walter Malby
Jane Lynch as Carmella Malby
Carol Burnett as Maureen Malby
Bobby Coleman as Hunter Malby
Rodrigo Santoro as David Santiago
Catherine Reitman as Jessica Bard
Craig Robinson as Funeral director
J. K. Simmons as Roy Davies
Mary Anne McGarry as Barbara Snaff
Vanessa Branch as Receptionist
Fred Armisen as Guacanator pitchman
Alexandra Holden as Cute funky girl
Andy Daly as Lloyd Hastings
Desean Terry as Young Cop
Angel Oquendo as Police Officer
Walter Emanuel Jones as Voice Cast
Demetri Martin (uncredited) as TV commercial producer
Production
Amanda Bynes was originally set to star, but dropped and was replaced by Alexis Bledel.
Reception
Post Grad was panned by film critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 8% based on 100 reviews. The site's consensus states: "A lightweight, unambitious comedy, Post Grad features fine actors that can do little with its middling, uninspiring script." On Metacritic it has a score of 35 out of 100, based on 25 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B on scale of A to F.
Peter Debruge of Variety magazine wrote: "As fiction characters go, Ryden seems as dull as they come, making it hard to muster much sympathy for her plight".
Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, stating, "If you're cynical or jaded, it might not get past you. But here is the first movie in a long time that had me actually admitting I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel."
Box office
During opening weekend, the film opened at #11, grossing $2,651,996.
Home media
The film was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on November 24, 2009.