About Alex (2014)

About Alex earns its place in the crowded “friends in a house for a weekend” genre by feeling unusually alive: smart, funny in the way real people are funny, and quietly warm even when it’s poking at old wounds. Jesse Zwick lets the conversations breathe, and the ensemble—anchored by Jason Ritter’s bruised sincerity, with Aubrey Plaza’s needle-sharp presence and Jane Levy’s grounded charm—turns every glance and half-joke into history you can feel. The tone walks a tricky line, finding unhackneyed humor amid genuine pain without treating its heavy subject like a gimmick or a punchline. It’s not for everyone if you’re looking for a breezy comedy or are sensitive to suicide themes, but if you want a grown-up dramedy with intelligence, bite, and heart, it’s a rewarding watch.

About Alex is clearly aiming for an intimate, Big Chill-style weekend reunion where old friends confront adulthood, regret, and the shock of a suicide attempt. The problem is it often feels like it’s following a well-worn template, leaning on familiar banter, predictable revelations, and bursts of melodrama that can come off more self-conscious than earned. If you’re hoping for a fresh take on mental health or a genuinely surprising ensemble drama, this may feel clumsy and a bit too “been there, seen that.” That said, the cast brings enough charm and lived-in chemistry to make it watchable if you’re in the mood for a talky, relationship-heavy dramedy and can handle the heavy opening and theme.