Review of Premature

Premature was reasonably well-received by its audience at its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. I didn't expect too much from it and that's pretty much what I got: not much. Premature is an average film with a few funny scenes, but nothing extraordinary or particularly interesting. There were few scenes that drew low ball humor mostly involving masturbation. This film fulfilled the cliché that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery; unfortunately, Dan Beers is not Harold Ramis and the young actors lack the comic genius of Bill Murray. Premature strives to be Goundhog Day for the American Pie generation, but the script lacks the magic that made Groundhog Day a classic that is remembered and beloved.

The young actors tried to make something entertaining of thus highly derivative script and they clearly did their best with very average material. Some of them have talent and may end up being successful. There is really nothing memorable or interesting about this film. If it is distributed it will make for an average, but forgettable date movie. At the Q&A following the film, someone asked if they had been able to show it to Harold Ramis before his death. The director said that they had not, and frankly, I'm glad that Ramis last days weren't wasted on this particular second-rate imitation of one of his best films. Dan Beers should try to write something original next time.