Everything, Everything

Coming of age movies have come in a variety of styles, packages, and of course quality. While the number of generational novels (and subsequent movies) have increased over the decades, their quality has decreased for many, lost to the gimmick of modern, superficial entertainment it has become. And so here comes yet another addition to the teenage book movie collection Everything, Everything! Interesting title aside, I must admit I didn't have high hopes for this movie, but nevertheless I'm back in the theater to give you the thoughts on yet another film. Let's get it on…figuratively that is.

LIKES • Good pace • Great chemistry • Realistic, not annoying • Twist

Summary: Okay, when it comes to love stories…we know I find the pace to be slow and often boring, (yes, I'm a robot). However, in Everything, Everything, that trend was finally broken. No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you my friends, you read right. Everything, Everything keeps the pace moving, making sure to bring prompt, concise introductions and dive right into the story at hand. No this doesn't mean they skip over too many things (admit haven't read the story), but it keeps the adventure going, all while maintaining the romance involved.

What helped accomplish this? In all honesty, I think it was the chemistry that made the movie, with the two stars Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson having a fantastic relationship with each other. They play off each other's emotions, seem to like working with other, and maximize the energy they bring to the screen. It's like they are actually in love with each other, or at least friends, and that sold the relationship/story for me. An added bonus is that the relationship felt like a real example of a developing relationship, forgoing the cheap antics of cheesy love that most romantic comedies choose. They weren't instantly soul mates or magically destined to succeed. So, nice to see that portrayed every once in a while.

Yet the main thing that sunk me into the tale was the twist in the story. It takes a lot to surprise me in movies (I've seen so many after all), but this movie was able to covertly hide some nuances that seemed inconsistent were instead hints at what was to come. While it took place a little late, it really brought the film to full circle and ended the film with a powerful finale. Nice job my friends… nice job.

DISLIKES • A slow abridged start • A few overacted moments • Some odd directions • Dropped characters • Uniqueness is kind of missing

Summary: I know what you're thinking, you're contradicting yourself again. Hear me out, overall the pace worked for me, but the opening took a little time to take off the ground. The introduction was a little dragged out and slow, merely a compellation of moping scenes with a monologue overlapping to explain the abridged, somewhat underdeveloped details.

In addition, the movie takes some odd turns in the film, going into some pointless tangents that were odder than anything. A common metaphor is the astronaut to which she compares her life to, a symbol of being a long individual stuck in the vast, empty void. Cool symbolism, but it gets lost in these trippy side arcs of the astronaut trying to do mundane tasks in the background while our characters act out their text messages. I'm guessing it was trying to be funny, but this weirdness was an unneeded distraction that did little but make me think some drugs could have been involved. Well that and helping distract from some of the more overacted moments. Despite a rich chemistry between each other, there were times that reaction failed to activated, leading too some flat attempts at get tears going. Fortunately, these eye rolling moments were kept to a minimum.

And while the story was good overall for me, there are still a few other flaws that hit me. First of all, the trailers spent some time building up a few characters (such as the nurse and for a while the mother), only for them to drop them out of the picture for a long while. Why the dropped story? Why the potential for a little emotional build up to really kick things up? Probably for more kissing and declarations of love I suppose. Still they cheated us out of some good character interactions, leaving us to explore those components by reading the book. How dare they! This brings me to the last dislike, the lack of uniqueness. Despite the twists, surprises and decent pace, Everything, Everything still lacks that unique touch that we all still look for. It has all the familiar elements of this genre, with little deviation and originality to compliment on. If this familiarity is what you want, then great, because that comfort is present in the movie. However, if you are looking for something with a little more pizazz and originality… then you will want to move along.

The VERDICT:

Despite lacking originality, this reviewer is pleased to see a quality coming of age movie hit the theaters this weekend. Everything, Everything certainly has everything you want in a teenage chick flick with a decent pace, good acting chemistry, and a nice twist to spruce things up. Yet it still is that familiar story of love Hollywood likes and lacks a lot of theater worthy elements that make it worth the admission price. Therefore, I can recommend this movie for a visit if you're looking for a good book movie, but I still recommend waiting for Redbox to see this film.

My score is:

Drama/Romance: 8.0 Movie Overall: 6.5

Life is Short

short review by Krystal

Everything Everything

non-spoiler alert: This movie is absolutely beautiful. I couldn't stop smiling during the entire movie. Amandla and Nick did an amazing job portraying Maddy and Olly. The movie is very faithful to the book (something that I appreciate a lot) The soundtrack is perfect for the story. And I can't wait to watch it again.

So, I can watch this film if I really wanted to, it's not that awful. My girlfriend likes this kinda stuff so I decided to watch it with her as she's seen it before and says it's great. However, the main characters are boring, my feelings during watching this is that I really couldn't care what happens to them both, they could get together or not, it wouldn't bother me. The fact that I have no emotion or attachment to the characters makes me dislike this film. The book apparently is much better but this doesn't make me want to read it. With other romances that are good, the couple belong together, but in this, it just doesn't make sense, they don't seem to fit together just right. Also, the mother of the girl is deranged, she has no understanding of the daughter's emotions whatsoever by the looks of it and yet they get along perfectly fine as a happy family. The girl also has many issues in her past, yet she doesn't seem broken at all by this. Wouldn't recommend, a boring watch.

'Everything, Everything' gives off every vibe of just another 'Fault in Our Stars' but impressively enough, it somehow does something just a little differently. Whether it was the clear chemistry and/or the fantastic acting ability given off by Amanda Stenberg, it ultimately results in a product that is pure and genuine that shows a young love as innocent and honest as it could be. Besides minor petty things, there is not much to complain about. Being a typical young adult drama, I can not give a stronger rating but all things considered, this is a glowing thumbs up for 'Everything, Everything'.

SCID, severe combined immunodeficiency, is a rare genetic disorder in which the sufferer's immune system is so weak that any bacteria or virus could prove fatal, requiring the patient to live in a sterile environment. SCID is the disease at the center of the plot in the YA romantic drama "Everything Everything" (PG-13, 1:36) and has appeared in various forms of popular culture for decades. The 1976 made-for-TV movie "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" (starring a young John Travolta) was inspired by the childhood of SCID sufferer David Vetter (and Ted DeVita, who had a similar disease). The film, in turn, inspired a song on Paul Simon's 1986 "Graceland" album, a musical and even a popular political analogy (referring to the isolation of living in the White House). However, most cultural references to the disease have been in small screen comedies, including "The Bubble Boy" episode of "Seinfeld", an episode of "That 70s Show" and an installment of RiffTrax in which veterans of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" mockingly comment on the 1976 film. But "Everything Everything" treats SCID with deadly seriousness.

Maddy Whittier (Amandla Stenberg) is about to turn 18, but hasn't been outdoors since she was an infant. Due to her SCID diagnosis, Maddy's mother, Pauline (Anika Noni Rose), keeps her in a germ-free environment in which her windows don't open, her clothes are sterilized before she wears them and the only outsiders with whom she interacts (after they pass through a special antechamber) are her nurse, Carla (Ana de la Reguera), and Carla's teenage daughter, Rosa (Danube Hermosillo). It's a good thing for Maddy that Pauline is a doctor, so she can monitor her daughter's health – and make enough money to pay for their specially-designed house. And Pauline is the only family Maddy has left, since her father and brother were killed in a car crash long ago. Maddy spends her days reading, learning about life from the internet and looking through her window dreaming about the outside world, especially the ocean.

Then, something else of great interest shows up on the other side of Maddy's windows. A young man named Olly (Nick Robinson) and his family move in next door. Maddy and Olly quickly connect, in spite of the space (and glass) between them, helped out by the fact that their bedroom windows face each other. Their flirting looks and waves give way to texts when Olly writes his cell number on his window. Of course, they Email too. As our protagonists get to know each other one digital message at a time, Olly is not deterred by Maddy's unusual situation – and she wants nothing more than to be in the same room as him. Without consulting Pauline, Carla makes Maddy's wish happen, which only makes these crazy kids want to spend even more time together and maybe even… touch… someday. Pauline figures out what's going on and gets very angry, fearing that pursuing this relationship would mean Maddy's life. But Maddy starts thinking that her life isn't really "living" at all and that love is "everything everything".

"Everything Everything" is sweet, sappy and surprising. Screenwriter J. Mills Goodloe ("The Age of Adeline") adapts Nicola Yoon's 2015 novel faithfully, rendering a romantic drama that can be seen either as fresh or far-fetched… or both. Although it's somewhat predictable (especially if you've seen the theatrical trailer, which reveals more than this review), unless you've read the book, you probably won't see the twist coming. Director Stella Meghie (only helming her second feature film) stages some of the less visual aspects of the story with imagination and keeps the melodrama to a minimum, while playing up the romance and its cuteness, along with taking advantage of the attractiveness and chemistry of her two stars. Stenberg and Robinson are talented young actors with bright futures ahead of them. This movie has the sweetness of the 1976 John Travolta movie, updated for the 21st century. (It can also be understood as "The Fault in Our Stars" meets "American Beauty".) The film is very likely to appeal to the target audience and maybe even some of the male persuasion and/or Movie Fans who no longer have the number "1" as the first digit in their ages. It's also encouragingly post-racial, with a small but diverse cast and the obvious differences in the backgrounds of Maddy and Olly not only not an issue, but not even mentioned. "Everything Everything" may not exactly be "all that", but it is creative & charming. "B"