Everything, Everything
Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Nick Robinson, Anika Noni Rose
Directed by: Stella Meghie
Rated: PG-13
What if Bubble Boy was adapted for the Nicholas Sparks audience? That scenario becomes a reality in Everything, Everything. The film follows 18-year-old Maddy Whittier who suffers from a rare disease that prevents her from leaving the house. Her only contacts with the outside world are her mother and a family nurse. When a new neighbor named Olly (Nick Robinson) moves in next door, the two quickly develop a relationship through texting and phone calls. Can they find a way to be together despite everything blocking their path?
Like The Fault in Our Stars, A Walk To Remember and several other films before that, Everything Everything follows a familiar "sick romance" formula. Girl is sick. Edgy boy comes into the picture to sweep girl off her feet. Girl changes her life for boy. Girl learns that life can be worth something after all because of love. This is a formula that Hollywood loves. It is proven to get people in the theater. They just have to change things up a little bit to pique interest. In Everything, Everything, Maddie is the girl. Olly is the edgy boy who catches her attention. How do they change it up this time? Maddie can't leave the house or she'll die. It's certainly a drastic choice, but it's enough to make you wonder how it will all end.
Amandla Stenberg (you may recognize her as Rue in the Hunger Games) is quite good in the leading role. She balances Maddie's desire of being out in the world with the realism that it isn't a practical goal. I wish we knew more about her illness in the beginning of the movie. We hear she is "allergic to everything", but that's never really explained. Other than an air tight door and a steam-cleaner for her clothes, I didn't see any health precautions taken. If she's allergic to everything, how does she eat, wash her hair, put on makeup, etc? It's a small detail, but explanation is key here.
Nick Robinson plays the skater boy with a heart of gold. A cliche that is typical for these romances. Olly isn't a deeply developed character like Maddie, but he is very sweet.
Everything, Everything knows its audience. Every shot is a teen's aesthetic dream. Although it's portrayal of sickness is sanitized, I admit the movie's strong point is its curated appearance. Maddie spends every minute stuck in her house, but it's an immaculate place that looks straight out of Pinterest. Each outfit she wears looks like it's immediately Instagram-worthy. Every song that plays sounds expertly crafted from an Indie Playlist from an in demand DJ. Because Maddie can't leave the house, each text and phone conversation between her and Olly is creatively portrayed through Maddie's imagination. Innovative sets are created that make it look like the two are talking to each other in their own world. It's a creative way to showcase a conversation instead of just showing texts going back and forth. These scenes go on to further the movie's stylistic flair.
Beneath it's style, some pretty dumb decisions are made in this movie. I went along with them for the sake of the plot because they're teenagers in love. How many smart decisions are made in movies when 'teenagers in love' are part of the plot? Not many. Just as I was finally accepting the plot for what it was, there is a major twist that totally derails the movie. This twist doesn't fit the tone of Everything, Everything at all. It feels like the twist ending to a messed up psychological thriller. I sat there wondering how this all fit together and how anyone could justify it. Ironically, the twist practically solves everything, but it left me feeling completely cold towards the storytelling. It's too bad because this could've been a pretty enjoyable movie without such a messed up reveal.
Everything, Everything is a surprisingly stylish, but undeniably cliché romance movie with a disturbing twist that upends the story.
My Rating: 5/10