Review Roundup: Chris Evans Stars in Romantic Comedy BEFORE WE GO

Chris Evans directs and stars in the new romantic-comedy BEFORE WE GO. The film was written by Ronald Bass, Jen Smolka, Chris Shafer, and Paul Vicknair.

BEFORE WE GO follows the story of a woman who misses the 1:30 train from New York to Boston and a street musician who spends the night trying to help her make it back home before her husband does. Throughout the night they learn a lot about one another and eventually find a romance.

Along with Chris Evans, BEFORE WE GO additionally stars Alice Eve, Emma Fitzpatrick, Scott Evans, John Cullum, and Maria Breyman.

Let's see what the critics had to say!

Ben Kenigsberg, The New York Times: While "Before We Go" is orders of magnitude less urbane than Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise" and similar indies, like "In Search of a Midnight Kiss," the talkathon formula proves durable, even if perfectly timed retorts make this couple sound suspiciously like movie stars.

Scott Foundas, Variety: A missed train sets the stage for Chris Evans' directorial debut, "Before We Go," but dramatically speaking, this talky, contrived and ultimately tedious actors' exercise never leaves the station. While Evans deserves credit for wanting to reveal a more serious, thoughtful side to himself than the Marvel universe will allow, a tepid homage (in title and form) to Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy's "Before" trilogy may not have been the best idea.

Sara Stewart, New York Post: "Before We Go" is best when it lets Evans and Eve banter on stoops, but the screenplay, by Ron Bass and Jen Smolka, is heavy on clichéd set pieces. An impromptu duet in a bar to earn some cash. A visit to a wise old psychic behind a tacky window display. Evans shoots the city with some genuine warmth and grit, but returns too often to lingering close-ups of Nick and Brooke looking star-crossed.

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: Through it all, Evans' affable mellowness and quick smile remain charming. His generosity with other actors is shared by Eve, who as usual is beautiful and sparky. Yet "Before We Go" has to use every bit of its lead actors' appeal to overcome a script stuffed with practiced nonchalance and false notes. For instance, Brooke goes beyond frosty to outright bitchy in her first moments with Nick; c'mon, even the nicest guy would likely have given up trying to help. Nick has an audition the next day, which seems to sap him of the confidence he otherwise clearly has in abundance. And their mutual attraction - and complicated situations - feel contrived, as if the four credited screenwriters stitched together "Before Sunrise," "After Hours," some half-dozen '90s comedies and a few thoughtful '60s larks. Still, Evans and Eve are good company for the whole ride, and despite the forced tension - will they fall for each other? - Evans shows some promise as a director: We sometimes forget how aimless the movie is. If Captain America departs "The Avengers," Evans won't need to busk.

David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter: Both actors are appealing. They show as much depth and sensitivity as is probably possible with these thinly conceived roles, and their easy rapport makes the instant connection credible. But the characters' problems and fears are not complex enough to be engrossing, and ultimately, they never become much more than a windily contemplative extension of a meet-cute scenario. When a twinkly-eyed old storefront psychic (the always reliable John Cullum) tells Nick and Brooke he sees a future together for them, it's difficult to share his investment.

Lee Allport, Huffington Post: My opinion of Before We Go: the movie itself is a bit of a bland cliche even when trying not to be. However I don't hold much of that against the director. I enjoyed it very much because I genuinely enjoy Chris Evans' work and a slow indie film set to a slightly depressing but familiar soundtrack is just so up my alley. As a whole Evans did a good thing here. If he wants to continue down this independent film path he just needs to keep his head above water while the rest of his fan base catches up and think harder before picking scripts. Or I wonder, if Evans would consider adding his name to the writers category as well?

Joseph Wade, The Film Magazine: Overall, Before We Go was a poor tribute to one of the genres greatest ever films - Before Sunrise - and despite featuring a decent soundtrack, really did fail to deliver on almost all fronts. Clearly, with his role split between actor and director, Chris Evans was unable to fully master his new position within the film-making process, making Before We Go a less than impressive debut.

Mirza Baig, Graphic Policy: The movie is not the kind of romance that shows to have a marriage of happily forever after, but instead it shows the deepest life moments in such a few hours. It brought in a realistic message on how one can actually love more than one person in this world. It is funny, thoughtful (but not over dramatized), clever and sensitive at the same time. Finally a film where love, a man and a woman and the relationship between them is treated with respect, gentleness and is elevating, and refreshing instead of getting all mushy from the moment they meet. Its really amazing to know how the film took just 19 days to shoot! Chris Evans's directorial debut is completely changing the pace as he shifts away from his action-oriented career as Captain America for something more intimate and personal. And he has not a single problem capturing the drama from a performance point of view. Evans has a certain charm to him that feels welcoming and warm and exactly like the guy that you'd want to wonder around New York City with.

Chris Bumbray, JoBlo: I guess the twist is that as perfect as the two seem to be for each other, they're going for an unrequited vibe. The whole "will they or won't they?" aspect could have worked, but only if you actually wanted to see the two together. Really, you won't care, as they're so boring. Evans is especially two-dimensional, with him playing a noble do-gooder nursing a broken heart and preparing for a big audition. He never feels like anything more than an idealized romantic stranger for audiences to swoon over. The same is mostly true for Eve, who plays the damsel in distress, and who - of course - just happens to be utterly gorgeous and with a troubled home life. Some of their adventures are obnoxiously twee, with a bit where they duet on "My Bloody Valentine" for an easily swayed party of businessmen being downright goofy, as is a bit where the two draw sketches of each other on the back of hotel paintings.

Chuck Bowen, Slant Magazine: The actors give the film exactly what's on the page, and absolutely nothing more or less. Evans is one of Marvel Studio's more appealing flim-flam men because of his very lack of stature as an actor; his humility and anonymity contrast appealingly against, say, Robert Downey Jr.'s ever-escalating smugness. On the other hand, someone with Downey's outsized egocentricity could invest the wispy Before We Go with a neurotic spark of energy that might salvage it. Evans lets you see the work that goes into projecting his charm, in the kind of eager-to-appear-tossed-off performance that engenders a certain amount of protective pity from the audience. Eve is forgettable, reserved, as she often is, and unable to give herself over to Evans. Even on its puny terms, the film has no grandeur or sense of emotional intoxication; it's scrubbed of any grit or originality, or of anything that might muddy the script's expendable platitudes.

Photo Credit: Official Trailer

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