Say You Will

Over the years, most every high school movie I've seen has been filled with excessive profanity, social media use, drinking, drug use, and sex.

The tables are turned here. We get a sweet, engaging, and simple story about a young man named Sam who is grieving his father's passing and reconnecting with a childhood crush Ellie while working alongside her at a video store. Sam and Ellie are cute together and we can see how they confide in each other while tackling life's societal pressures.

The relationship between Sam and his mother Janis is also explored- the two are distant and cold towards one another. Sam has a mission to bring his mother out of the darkness, and he succeeds in what is the strongest movie ending I've seen in ages.

There's moments of laughter, delight, and sadness while we watch Sam's summer vacation. Every character had a defined role and added to Sam's journey of self discovery (including Sam's hilarious video store manager JD, his best friend Bobby who lives across the street, and also his mom's good-natured ex-fiancée Dean). Music is also a key theme and helps bring these characters together.

Don't sleep on this movie; it's a must see.