Coming of age movies have come in a variety of styles, packages, and of course quality. While the number of generational novels (and subsequent movies) have increased over the decades, their quality has decreased for many, lost to the gimmick of modern, superficial entertainment it has become. And so here comes yet another addition to the teenage book movie collection Everything, Everything! Interesting title aside, I must admit I didn't have high hopes for this movie, but nevertheless I'm back in the theater to give you the thoughts on yet another film. Let's get it on
figuratively that is.
LIKES Good pace Great chemistry Realistic, not annoying Twist
Summary: Okay, when it comes to love stories
we know I find the pace to be slow and often boring, (yes, I'm a robot). However, in Everything, Everything, that trend was finally broken. No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you my friends, you read right. Everything, Everything keeps the pace moving, making sure to bring prompt, concise introductions and dive right into the story at hand. No this doesn't mean they skip over too many things (admit haven't read the story), but it keeps the adventure going, all while maintaining the romance involved.
What helped accomplish this? In all honesty, I think it was the chemistry that made the movie, with the two stars Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson having a fantastic relationship with each other. They play off each other's emotions, seem to like working with other, and maximize the energy they bring to the screen. It's like they are actually in love with each other, or at least friends, and that sold the relationship/story for me. An added bonus is that the relationship felt like a real example of a developing relationship, forgoing the cheap antics of cheesy love that most romantic comedies choose. They weren't instantly soul mates or magically destined to succeed. So, nice to see that portrayed every once in a while.
Yet the main thing that sunk me into the tale was the twist in the story. It takes a lot to surprise me in movies (I've seen so many after all), but this movie was able to covertly hide some nuances that seemed inconsistent were instead hints at what was to come. While it took place a little late, it really brought the film to full circle and ended the film with a powerful finale. Nice job my friends
nice job.
DISLIKES A slow abridged start A few overacted moments Some odd directions Dropped characters Uniqueness is kind of missing
Summary: I know what you're thinking, you're contradicting yourself again. Hear me out, overall the pace worked for me, but the opening took a little time to take off the ground. The introduction was a little dragged out and slow, merely a compellation of moping scenes with a monologue overlapping to explain the abridged, somewhat underdeveloped details.
In addition, the movie takes some odd turns in the film, going into some pointless tangents that were odder than anything. A common metaphor is the astronaut to which she compares her life to, a symbol of being a long individual stuck in the vast, empty void. Cool symbolism, but it gets lost in these trippy side arcs of the astronaut trying to do mundane tasks in the background while our characters act out their text messages. I'm guessing it was trying to be funny, but this weirdness was an unneeded distraction that did little but make me think some drugs could have been involved. Well that and helping distract from some of the more overacted moments. Despite a rich chemistry between each other, there were times that reaction failed to activated, leading too some flat attempts at get tears going. Fortunately, these eye rolling moments were kept to a minimum.
And while the story was good overall for me, there are still a few other flaws that hit me. First of all, the trailers spent some time building up a few characters (such as the nurse and for a while the mother), only for them to drop them out of the picture for a long while. Why the dropped story? Why the potential for a little emotional build up to really kick things up? Probably for more kissing and declarations of love I suppose. Still they cheated us out of some good character interactions, leaving us to explore those components by reading the book. How dare they! This brings me to the last dislike, the lack of uniqueness. Despite the twists, surprises and decent pace, Everything, Everything still lacks that unique touch that we all still look for. It has all the familiar elements of this genre, with little deviation and originality to compliment on. If this familiarity is what you want, then great, because that comfort is present in the movie. However, if you are looking for something with a little more pizazz and originality
then you will want to move along.
The VERDICT:
Despite lacking originality, this reviewer is pleased to see a quality coming of age movie hit the theaters this weekend. Everything, Everything certainly has everything you want in a teenage chick flick with a decent pace, good acting chemistry, and a nice twist to spruce things up. Yet it still is that familiar story of love Hollywood likes and lacks a lot of theater worthy elements that make it worth the admission price. Therefore, I can recommend this movie for a visit if you're looking for a good book movie, but I still recommend waiting for Redbox to see this film.
My score is:
Drama/Romance: 8.0 Movie Overall: 6.5
