Review: Familiar 'Before I Fall' gives 'Groundhog Day' a solid teen twist
Brian Truitt , USA TODAY Published 8:02 a.m. ET March 2, 2017 | Updated 11:07 a.m. ET March 4, 2017
A high school senior leads a charmed life until one night when everything changes. Stuck reliving her last day alive, Sam must untangle the mystery around her death. USA TODAY NETWORK
If you’re going to make a teenage version of a Hollywood favorite, you could do worse than Groundhog Day, which explores whether it's possible to figure yourself out when faced with the madness of infinity. Isn't that how most high school kids feel?
Before I Fall, based on Lauren Oliver’s popular 2010 young adult novel, isn’t quite that heady and actually is pretty straightforward and predictable compared to its grown-up spiritual predecessor. However, director Ry Russo-Young’s drama (**½ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters nationwide Friday) does manage to smartly dig into the real-world consequences of bullying and arrive at a provocative conclusion by having its main character live her final day on Earth over and over until she gets it right.
Zoey Deutch breaks out in 'Before I Fall'
Instead of mean Bill Murray, there's a quartet of mean girls at the center of Before I Fall. Sam (Zoey Deutch) wakes up like any other day, with the ping of her iPhone getting her out of bed at 6:30 and sending her off to school to hang with BFFs Lindsay (Halston Sage), Elody (Medalion Rahimi) and Ally (Cynthy Wu). It’s Cupid Day at school, so Sam fills the hours mentally preparing to lose her virginity, hanging with her friends — who look down on fellow students such as lesbian outsider Anna (Liv Hewson) and artsy recluse Juliet (Elena Kampouris) — and readying for a wild night of partying.
But an unfortunate incident goes down at the shindig, followed by a tragic car accident. Then things get really strange: Sam wakes up at 6:30 to the same “happy cupid day bae” text on her phone, and the eerie déjà vu of having seen and done it all before.
Logan Miller and Zoey Deutch are childhood friends who find a way to reconnect in 'Before I Fall.' (Photo: Awesomeness Films)
It follows a Groundhog-like script from there, with Sam going through anger, sadness and ultimately acceptance that she needs to figure out how to live the right day to get out of her crazy loop. Everything falls into place a little too neatly, there's no shortage of well-trod teen-movie stereotypes, and Maria Maggenti’s screenplay has teen speak on lock but not strong characterization. Also, certain aspects seem lost in adaptation: It's mentioned in passing but never shown that Sam has tormented her peers the same way her friends do, so the otherworldly comeuppance rings odd for an otherwise pretty good kid.
Stars shine at the 'Why Him?' premiere
There’s nothing visually inventive or noteworthy about Sam’s time warps, though Deutch’s strong performance keeps the audience invested as she breaks bad on everybody around her, reconnects with her mom (Jennifer Beals) and spends time with a childhood friend (Logan Miller) she’s ignored for years. Deutch lends impressive nuance to each of those ordinary scenes of teen life.
While Before I Fall might not be for every grown-up — for starters, those put off by the word “bae”— it does work for teens looking for authenticity and a high-concept story that reflects their insular world.
Brian Truitt , USA TODAY Published 8:02 a.m. ET March 2, 2017 | Updated 11:07 a.m. ET March 4, 2017
A high school senior leads a charmed life until one night when everything changes. Stuck reliving her last day alive, Sam must untangle the mystery around her death. USA TODAY NETWORK
If you’re going to make a teenage version of a Hollywood favorite, you could do worse than Groundhog Day, which explores whether it's possible to figure yourself out when faced with the madness of infinity. Isn't that how most high school kids feel?
Before I Fall, based on Lauren Oliver’s popular 2010 young adult novel, isn’t quite that heady and actually is pretty straightforward and predictable compared to its grown-up spiritual predecessor. However, director Ry Russo-Young’s drama (**½ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters nationwide Friday) does manage to smartly dig into the real-world consequences of bullying and arrive at a provocative conclusion by having its main character live her final day on Earth over and over until she gets it right.
Zoey Deutch breaks out in 'Before I Fall'
Instead of mean Bill Murray, there's a quartet of mean girls at the center of Before I Fall. Sam (Zoey Deutch) wakes up like any other day, with the ping of her iPhone getting her out of bed at 6:30 and sending her off to school to hang with BFFs Lindsay (Halston Sage), Elody (Medalion Rahimi) and Ally (Cynthy Wu). It’s Cupid Day at school, so Sam fills the hours mentally preparing to lose her virginity, hanging with her friends — who look down on fellow students such as lesbian outsider Anna (Liv Hewson) and artsy recluse Juliet (Elena Kampouris) — and readying for a wild night of partying.
But an unfortunate incident goes down at the shindig, followed by a tragic car accident. Then things get really strange: Sam wakes up at 6:30 to the same “happy cupid day bae” text on her phone, and the eerie déjà vu of having seen and done it all before.
Logan Miller and Zoey Deutch are childhood friends who find a way to reconnect in 'Before I Fall.' (Photo: Awesomeness Films)
It follows a Groundhog-like script from there, with Sam going through anger, sadness and ultimately acceptance that she needs to figure out how to live the right day to get out of her crazy loop. Everything falls into place a little too neatly, there's no shortage of well-trod teen-movie stereotypes, and Maria Maggenti’s screenplay has teen speak on lock but not strong characterization. Also, certain aspects seem lost in adaptation: It's mentioned in passing but never shown that Sam has tormented her peers the same way her friends do, so the otherworldly comeuppance rings odd for an otherwise pretty good kid.
Stars shine at the 'Why Him?' premiere
There’s nothing visually inventive or noteworthy about Sam’s time warps, though Deutch’s strong performance keeps the audience invested as she breaks bad on everybody around her, reconnects with her mom (Jennifer Beals) and spends time with a childhood friend (Logan Miller) she’s ignored for years. Deutch lends impressive nuance to each of those ordinary scenes of teen life.
While Before I Fall might not be for every grown-up — for starters, those put off by the word “bae”— it does work for teens looking for authenticity and a high-concept story that reflects their insular world.