Everything, Everything

Everything, Everything

Starring Amandla Stenberg, Nick Robinson, Anika Noni Rose, Ana de la Reguera

Directed by Stella Meghie

The Story:
18-year-old Maddy (Amandla Stenberg) has spent her entire life inside her home with her mother Pauline (Anika Noni Rose), because she suffers from a disease known as Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID), which means her immune system is so weak that if she goes outside and comes into contact with any type of illness, she could die.

So she's spent her life in her house with her mother and nurse Carla (Ana de la Reguera), and hasn't really interacted with other human beings apart from online chats.  Then a new family moves in, including hunky teen Olly (Nick Robinson), and the two share conversations over text messages.  Behind her mother's back, Maddy has Olly over despite the possible contamination threat, and the two begin a relationship.  When her mother discovers what's happening, she forbids Maddy to see Olly or have anyone come into the house, leading Maddy to finally decide that one day of living is worth the risk instead of living a life a prisoner in her home.

The Synopsis:
Based on a book by Nicola Yoon, "Everything, Everything" is Romeo and Juliet for the Internet generation  However, instead of feuding families coming between them, this Romeo and Juliet has a life-debilitating disease that separates them (not to mention an extremely overbearing mother).

Maddy is from the right side of the tracks - the Juliet if you will - who lives like a princess in her majestic home, only she's more Rapunzel than Queen Elizabeth.  While her home is state-of-the-art complete with floor-to-ceiling windows and a completely clean environment, it's also a prison for our young heroine, who can't step foot outside.  Her mother is highly overprotective, half due to her disease, the other half due to the fact that she lost her husband and son in a car accident, leaving Maddy as her only family.  Maddy's extremely intelligent (all she does is read), always wears white, and has a generally positive outlook on everything despite her severe disease.  Olly - Romeo - is a bit more rough around the edges.  He's brooding, always wears black, and comes from a dysfunctional family situation.  The two further explore this Romeo and Juliet diatribe by communicating from their respective bedroom windows, much like the two star-crossed lovers of Shakespeare's time.

Also much like Shakespeare's classic, Maddy and Olly can't stay apart for long.  Despite the danger, Maddy ventures out to be with Olly, going behind her mother's back to do so.  When Maddy's mother forbids her from seeing Olly again, she disobeys and goes with Olly on a vacation to Hawaii (how she managed to board an airplane without an ID is beyond me), fully exposing herself to possible death.

When they first meet, they communicate through text messages, and in a stroke of genius by director Stella Meghie, we don't see the texted words flashing across the screen.  Rather, we're taken to Maddy's imagination, where she's able to converse with Olly face-to-face, in real time, eliminating the need to read words flashing across the screen.  That's one of the great aspects this film provides, but there's another that's far better.

That is with the casting.  Both the young leads are quickly rising the ranks of Hollywood royalty, and both are bound for great things.  Nick Robinson - best known for his role in "Jurassic World" and the upcoming "Love, Simon" - performs well as Olly, a bad boy with a heart of gold.  Yet it's Amandla Stenberg - best known as Rue in "The Hunger Games" - who steals the show.  She looks absolutely beautiful, and gives a purely emotional performance that is far beyond her years.  In a few years, when she's older, I can see her becoming the next Viola Davis.

While this may seem like a terrific, romantic, overcoming-the-odds type of story, the final act just tosses all that out the window and attempts to give a Shyamalan twist that destroys the good will that was built up before.  While we affectionately adore Maddy and Olly and their budding romance, what happens only feels like a slap in the face to the audience.  It's quite unfortunate because it was gearing up to be a great young adult romance, but, like Romeo and Juliet, it doesn't end well.

The Summary:
Despite a solid story and two charming, talented leads, "Everything, Everything" is reduced to a cheap plotline that turns the entire film into a sad farce.

The Score: B-