Still reeling from his breakup with college sweetheart Allison, Adam's world is thrown into further chaos when he’s surprisingly invited to attend her wedding.
If the movie finds its pathos and laughs around the edges, Literally, Right Before Aaron finds its easy if limited appeal outside the Hollywood mainstream, where “Home Again” is somebody’s idea of what a romantic comedy should be these days.
The problem here is Mr. Long’s Adam, a twitchy knot of tics and self-pity. He invites our sympathy — especially when contrasted with the smarmy Aaron — but doesn’t really deserve it.
It’s hard to imagine Literally, Right Before Aaron existing without The Graduate as a template. Ryan Eggold’s lame-brained paint-by-numbers romantic comedy relies a little too heavy on functioning as homage to the Mike Nichols classic.
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Village Voice
Abbey Bender
The film ends with a riff on the final moments of The Graduate, a frustrating suggestion of a much better work.