Nick (Chris Evans) is sitting on the floor of Grand Central Station thinking about something important in his life when suddenly Brooke (Alice Eve) rushes by, dropping her cell phone, shattering at his feet. Without a moment’s thought, he picks up the phone and sets off after the obviously distraught woman. As the station is closing for the night, he returns the phone only to find that not only has she missed the last train of the evening, but her purse with all of her money and identification has been stolen.
Knowing Brooke has no way to take care of herself or contact anyone for assistance, Nick takes it upon himself to come to her rescue. It’s not a completely selfless act because the longer it takes to help her, the longer he can avoid doing something he is apprehensive about. Throughout the night, the two become friends and help one another to confront issues that they are both running from.
The film is heavy in dialogue as the two main characters primarily interact with one another and only come into contact with other characters very briefly. Some of the dialogue is a little awkward and strange sounding, but in a way it adds to the charm of the film as it feels more like how real people talk. Everything is not gold and sometimes you say things that don’t make a whole lot of sense. In some films, this would be a negative, but in this one it makes the budding relationship feel more realistic.
The Blu-ray is presented in Widescreen Format with a 1.85:1 ratio aspect and a 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio. The video is clear, but the hand-held camera style is a little jumpy. The film is mostly a two-person conversation and doesn’t take advantage of any kind of surround sound or audio aspects that might enhance the experience.
The only special feature is “A Conversation with Director Chris Evans,” who explains his theory on directing and how this is his first attempt at it and that he wasn’t trying to win an Oscar, but put something out that he could be proud of and get him started on the other side of the camera.
The beginning feels a little forced and contrived as you wonder why Nick would want to spend a $1,000 on a cab ride home for someone he just met, or why he would go into a den of thieves just to retrieve a purse. But by the end of the film, it doesn’t really matter as it’s more about the relationship that ends up feeling so natural it overshadows the film’s initial flaws. Even though there is no resolution to the ultimate questions that the characters face, it’s a snapshot in time of a special evening where two souls connect, leaving open a world of numerous possibilities that make it a quaint little film.
