PRE-SCREEN REVIEW: "Every Day"

   
    Based on David Levithan's acclaimed New York Times bestseller, Every Day tells the story of a shy 16-year-old girl named Rhiannon (Angourie Rice), who falls in love with a mysterious individual self-named "A." The interesting thing about this "A" is that each morning "A" wakes up inhabiting a different body. Feeling an unmatched connection, and hopelessly optimistic that this relationship will work, Rhiannon and "A" work each day to find each other, not knowing what or who the next day will bring. The more the two fall in love, the more the realities of loving someone who is a different person every 24 hours takes a toll, leaving Rhiannon and "A" to face the hardest decision either has ever had to make. I had the chance to see this last week during a pre-screening and, well...let's get into it.

   Upon the first viewing of a trailer for Every Day, I could have sworn it was just another Nicholas Sparks movie. If I'm being completely honest with this review, I would say that it felt like one, despite not being one. If you are unfamiliar with any of the films adapted from Sparks' novels, each one consists of a love story between two young people who have some type of trial to overcome. Really, that's basically it. They're sappy romantic stories that speak to realistic issues. Every Day essentially does the same. The movie is an exploration of love seen through the lens of inclusion that permeates today's society. At it's core, the message of love through acceptance is a relevant moral to behold, and it was explored in a way with this film that doesn't necessarily beat you over the head with it. In fact, in many ways it rises interesting questions that I hadn't thought of, like "what would I do if I woke up in a different person's body everyday?" If you really spend the time to think deeply about the aspects of this phenomenon, it could really boggle your mind.

   "A" expresses at one point that he has discovered through this experience how people tick, what makes them special, and the all-important concept: we are all essentially the same. Now, on the surface that seems like an interesting interpretation of that discussion, however the message overshadows the coupling aspect that is equally interesting: who really is "A" and why is this happening to him? Is he an alien? It's really unclear. There are some half-baked answers given concerning this question, but the story essentially tailors away from it because ultimately it's unimportant. But dang it! I want to know! The ramifications of living in another person's body can be anywhere from comical to fatal, and the movie isn't afraid to go to some dark places to make this point. I applaud the narrative for that, because if you're going to go all in with a wacky concept such as this, then really go for it. At one point "A" must decide whether or not to interact in someone else's life while in their body, posing this moral dilemma as a pivotal plot point. In the end it goes to a pretty powerful place, but manages to leave that moral quandary floating out there for you as the audience to chew on.

   The love story between "A" and Rhiannon is sweet, saccharine at times, and the principle actors do a fine job at portraying this. I got to hand it to Angourie Rice, who has to play against 15 or so different "A's" throughout the story. The acting throughout was pretty good, and the overall production, writing and directing was really well done. It's witty, comical, and sweet to boot. At the end of the day, this movie is another sappy love story, and if you're a fan of those then you'll probably enjoy this movie. I enjoyed the quirky nature of the story, and it left me thinking about some of the questions it poses, which I suppose is a good thing for any film. I would recommend checking this movie out if you're curious. For a date movie, you can't go wrong here.


Every Day opens in theaters February 23rd, 2018