Adapted from Jennifer E. Smith’s novel, and captures “Hello, Goodbye and Everything in Between” by Michael Lewin Adolescent interactions and intelligence through an empathic lens. But while this Netflix original doesn’t compromise on its target teenage audience, it fails to overcome fundamental issues that deal with narrative believability and predictability.
The story centers on two modern-minded teens who enter into a 10-month dating contract as a mandatory beginning story, and agree to break up the night before they leave college. But would real, remote teens behave this way? Or are adult creatives transferring their own ideas to the land of teens?
A cautious high school student Claire (Talia Ryder) thinks she hates risks. Everything she had wandered about when she was young, due to her parents’ divorce, made her indulge her first in her textbooks. Determined not to get distracted by boys or friendships, she instead focused on securing a bright future at a good college.
But Claire’s world is transformed when she is dragged by her cheerleader friend Stella (Ayo Ideberry) to her first Halloween house party, meeting Aidan (Jordan Fisher) in the process. The pair share instant communication, trade clever banter, flirt with crowds of classmates and spend the evening chatting at a nearby playground – a symbol of leaving childish things behind.
But not so fast. Before parting, Claire naively proposes a precarious deal to date for the rest of the school year, after Nikki’s breakup the night before leaving for college. Aidan agrees, ignoring any hints of the complications that might arise at her deadline.
A stormy courtship ensues, appearing in a fast-paced montage with large teal title cards declaring each passing month through the parade of milestones in the couple’s blossoming romance, from their first date to their first “I love you.” Then, once set in motion, their relationship approaches a mutually agreed-upon, with their friends and family questioning their right to the unwise and changeable decision to separate.
However, as much as Claire and Aidan let personal concerns guide their union to its intended end, the duo simultaneously struggle to let the love of their (young) lives go, facing their individual flaws and weaknesses in order to develop and grow. However, the pair’s recovery of their past in their final hours together will ultimately reshape their future.
It’s fairly obvious within minutes of clicking play that there will be a major hitch in Clare and Aidan’s plan, whether viewers are hopeless romantics or downright cynics. Love is an unstoppable and uncontrollable force, and anyone of any age knows it, even if the heroes don’t know it. The material doesn’t do much to subvert our expectations, nor does it surprise us when the inevitable fluctuations occur. Although screenwriters Amy Reed and Ben York Jones don’t succumb to any paradoxical romcom-esque hoaxes, they also don’t make the main characters’ logic workable. Teenage viewers caught between teenage desires and impending puberty can relate to these characters’ mysteries, but the setting feels suspicious because audiences likely know better than these two inexperienced souls.
However, the filmmakers highlight their strengths in other areas of Smith’s source material. LBGT’s acting is treated tenderly and given a full and somewhat sweet arc with Stella’s journey, as she worries if her crush Tess (Juliette Amara) will reciprocate the same feelings. Steve (Nico Hiraga), Aidan’s close friend to the slackers, is used not only as a comic relief, but also as a catalyst to help Aidan and Claire make clear discoveries.
Lewen, editor Joe Landauer, and cinematographer Bryce Fortner find good rhythm and an appealing aesthetic, evoking a sense of buoyancy and grounded realism at the same time. Music supervisors Lindsay Wolfington and Laura Webb also help float feelings without being intrusive, while completing Mike Tuccillo’s score.
The other part of the magic created comes courtesy of professional clients’ performance. They share crackling chemistry from start to finish. Luminous Rider, masterfully guides us through some intricate and intertwined facets with grace, sensitivity, and vitality. A gentle fisherman, he delivers subtle action during the delicate and languid moments (a small handful to intensify the film’s swoon-worthy nature). His voice on the Beatles’ remastered cover of “Twist and Shout,” as well as the original song “Everything I Want Before” at the end, adds to his charm.
Teens aren’t stupid, and expecting them to accept two college-connected heroes as naive as they are is disappointing, especially given the credibility that’s being tried. By making these lovebirds make the same mistakes they were trying so hard to avoid, the conflict seems involuntary and pointless. This may make the audience want to say goodbye to this faster than the already short runtime allows.
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