By Summer Rogers
Daily Titan Staff Writer

Post Grad is a socially-relevant comedy that could almost serve as a guide for college graduates entering the real world in these hard economic times.

The film serves as a “fair warning” to college grads that they may not obtain the dream job they have been working so diligently through college for. The movie tries to illustrate that there are more important things in life than just landing that dream career, like family and friends.

The story follows Ryden Malby (Alexis Bledel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) a recent graduate on her quest to obtain her dream job at a Los Angles publishing firm. Much to her dismay, she doesn’t land the job and ends up moving home and looking for menial jobs in the meantime.

The Malby clan is the heart and soul of the film as well as the main source of comedy.

Michael Keaton (The Merry Gentlemen), as head-of-the-household Walter, still has that spark of comedy he possessed in his films Johnny Dangerously (1984) and Beetle Juice (1988).

The incomparable Jane Lynch (Julie & Julia) brings her almost deadpan brand of comedy to the screen. Think of her The 40-Year-Old-Virgin character as a mother.

Carol Burnett (Horton Hears a Who!) steals all her scenes as Maureen, the oxygen-toting, preparing for-death grandma.

The film is also host to star-studded cameo appearances by talented comedians, such as Craig Robinson (The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard), a funeral director, who sounds more like a used car salesman: “What do I have to do to get you into one of my coffins today?”

Current Saturday Night Live cast member Fred Armisen and stand-up comedian and actor Demetri Martin (Taking Woodstock) also make hilarious appearances.

Although the film kind of serves as a guide for graduates, it should be taken with a grain of salt. Ryden ends up with a Hollywood ending that real college graduates can’t rely on; things don’t just fall into place just so, as they do in Post Grad.
Overall, the film is wonderful, with a comedic cast and a great message. See it for Keaton, Lynch and the cameos, if for nothing else.