Every Day

Every Day

Starring Angourie Rice, Justice Smith, Jeni Ross, Lucas Jade Zumann

Directed by Michael Sucsy

The Story:
Young, shy Rihannon (Angourie Rice) is a nice girl who's dating bad boy Justin (Justice Smith), a boy who clearly doesn't deserve a sweet soul as herself.  One day he treats her to a surprise romantic afternoon, sweeping her off her feet all over again.  The only thing is, it wasn't Justin - it was a spirit that transfers bodies every day, waking up each morning in a different teenagers' body.

This spirit - who refers to itself as A - is drawn to Rihannon and sets out to find her every day, trying to show her that she deserves someone better than Justin, while also trying to convince her of the outlandish story it tells.  As Rihannon begins to comprehend who - or what - A is, the more she begins developing true feelings for it, and A for her - but how could a relationship blossom when one half of the couple changes bodies every day?

The Synopsis:
Based off a novel by young adult author David Levithan (who also wrote "Boy Meets Boy," "Every You, Every Me," and "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist"), "Every Day" comes with an intriguing premise - one that works well on the page - but something that's almost impossible to execute on screen.  A spirit transfers itself from body to body, and falls in love with a girl who's struggling with her own identity and who longs to be accepted and valued.  While the film has some important life messages about acceptance and love, it turns into a clumsy mess with only sparks of brilliance.

At the heart of the story is Rihannon (played with delicate precision by relative newcomer Angourie Rice, who is actually perfect casting for a role like this due to her innocent look and nature), a girl who's sweet and endearing, a character we root for.  She's in a loveless relationship with Justin (played by Justice Smith, who, like everyone other than Rice, merely exists as a plot device), but one day Justin sweeps her off her feet surprisingly.  The spirit known as A has entered Justin for that day, and it's the spirit that treats Rihannon to the best day of her life.  Even though A has existed since birth, Rihannon is the first person who's really affected it in a way that goes beyond anything it's ever felt.

The next day, A wakes up in the body of a new girl named Amy, and she befriends Rihannon at school.  Then A is an awkward kid named Nathan who arrives at a party and talks to Rihannon again.  Each day, A manages to find its way to Rihannon, while trying to maintain hidden - it doesn't want to affect its host body in any way that could alter their future.  But it can't get Rihannon out of its head, and decides to come clean to her about what it is.

Of course, Rihannon doesn't take this information at face value, but as A continues to court her every day in a different body, she begins to realize the impossible is possible, and soon she develops true feelings for A.  A continually sweeps her off her feet, leading to a whirlwind romance where she gets to experience love from different people, and A gets to experience love for the first time.

This leads to the conundrum that the film finally reaches: how can this relationship last?  A keeps transferring bodies day to day, staying the same age.  So if they keep getting older, it will transfer to older bodies - bodies of fathers, mothers, and the like - and how could that work for their relationship?  The result is an emotional monologue by A that's the stirring part of the film, driving home the elephant in the room.

The actors perform decently, but it's Rice's youthful innocence that really sells the story.  You root for her, feel for her, and want the best for her.  The story is intriguing in that it doesn't take the general route a film like this would expect to go in - they don't spend countless days researching what A really is or how A can be fixed, but rather just spend each day together.  It tells a story of love and acceptance that teenagers sorely need to hear nowadays.  It shows us to experience life through different eyes, and to see the good in everyone.  Unfortunately, it wasn't executed at all properly, and could've been spectacular in more capable hands.  As it is, it's a sappy young adult romance film with a solid message but delivered in a way that you won't remember after it ends.

The Summary:
A film that's probably better put to paper, "Every Day" tries to tell an important message about acceptance and seeing the good in people, but ends up turning into another sappy love story with only hints of brilliance.

The Score: C-