‘Literally, Right Before Aaron’ is the directorial debut of actor, writer, and general Renaissance man Ryan Eggold, and it’s literally fantastic.
In this coming-of-age story about romanticizing the past, Adam (Justin Long) finds himself unable to turn down an invitation to the wedding of his ex-girlfriend Alison (Cobie Smulders), whom he still loves. While it did take a few scenes for the film and its particular brand of humor to hook me, ‘Literally, Right Before Aaron’ ultimately and rightfully earned its place alongside my favorite dramedies.
In a perfect match between actor and role, Long drives the film with his portrayal of the awkwardly charming and deeply human Adam. Adam, the world seemingly conspiring to haunt him with constant reminders of Alison and her flawless fiancé, is an intensely sympathetic character. You can’t help but like him. You can’t help but root for him on his ignoble quest to win Alison back and break up her marriage. You can’t help but revel in delectable awkwardness watching such a sympathetic, likable character constantly make terrible decisions.
The reason Adam is such a compelling character is because he’s wrong—imagine your fiancé’s former lover trying to break up your marriage. And the film takes care not to set up Aaron (Ryan Hansen), the titular fiancé, as a stereotypical douchebag. We know Adam is wrong, but because the film is shot from his perspective, we desperately want him to be right.
Also notable in ‘Literally, Right Before Aaron’ is Eggold’s use of daydreams and flashbacks. Throughout the movie these motifs punctuate and are woven into scenes unfolding in real time. This peppering of sequences from Adam’s imagination helps us understand his perspective and, coupled with the film’s excellent score (composed by—you guessed it—Ryan Eggold), contributes to its unique style.
While you may or may not find the opening slow, avoiding this film would be doing yourself a tremendous disservice. With just a touch of ‘The Graduate’ and ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,’ ‘Literally, Right Before Aaron’ offers a hysterical, touchingly relatable look at the kind of love that only exists in memory. If for nothing else, watch it for Justin Long’s performance. Ryan Eggold has certainly set the bar high for himself.
We screened the film at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
Photo courtesy of IMDB
