Every Day Movie Review

By: Lynn Barker

Based on David Levithan's YA bestseller and its sequel “Another Day”, Every Day is about 16-year-old Rhiannon (Angourie Rice) who falls in love with a mysterious disembodied soul named "A" who inhabits a different body every day; always the same age, same area and never the same person twice. “A” and Rhi feel a crazy soulful connection and fall in love but how can Rhi cope with her love being someone else every 24 hours? Can supernatural love last?

With another version of A at the lakeCourtesy of Orion Pictures

Who IS this guy?

Teen Justin (Justice Smith) wakes up feeling weird. When he gets to school, he feels like a stranger. He isn’t the only one who feels like he is weird. Girlfriend Rhiannon is used to him bossing her around, being selfish and treating her badly. This new version is so nice and fun that the two ditch school and have a great day together. She tells him about her dad (Michael Cram) who freaked out at work and never went back. She doesn’t know how to talk to him. Justin seems to actually care. Even Justin’s goodnight kiss is different. Rhi is freaked.

Rhi and Justin have a great dayCourtesy of Orion Pictures

“A”

We learn that inside Justin that day was a travelling, kindly soul named “A” who wakes up every 24 hours in a different body; sometimes boy, sometimes girl but always “A”. It’s always been that way. The next day “A” is a girl named Amy and Justin is his usual jerk self not remembering the great day with Rhi. Rhi notices the difference of course. Amy tells her she deserves better. Next “A” is religious zealot teen Nathan (Lucas Jade Zumann). That night Rhi goes to a party with Justin who abandons her to hang with his crew. Nerdy Nathan, who is secretly “A”, flirts and dances with her. It’s fun, just like that day with not-Justin was. Nathan has to run when Justin chases him for flirting with Rhi.

Dancing with Nathan at the partyCourtesy of Orion Pictures

Explanation

In the body of a teen named Megan (Katie Douglas), “A” explains the body hopping. Rhi thinks “A” is nuts but “she” does know many details of times Rhi spent with the others. So does the next sweet, large Asian teen who says he is “A”. He explains that he has his own memories and also those of the person he inhabits. He tries not to mess up any lives as he wakes in different bodies. “A” is lonely. He shows Rhi his Instagram account where he’s posted hundreds of pix of people he has “been”.

A explains more about his life to RhiCourtesy of Orion Pictures

On Waking

As Nathan, “A” didn’t make it home in time and exited Nathan’s body while he was still outside. Frightened, the real Nathan now is sure that he was possessed by Satan and that if Rhi believed the body hopping story, she was probably possessed too. Rhi talks to Justin and realizes that he really doesn’t love or know her at all. As a young African-American guy, “A” meets Rhi at a library and tells her this person is home-schooled and controlled by an overpowering mother. They kiss and his mom catches them. Rhi has to run away. She tells her mom that people change. She and Rhi’s dad have but they can still make it work.

The aquarium when Justin is ACourtesy of Orion Pictures

Inside Rhi

“A” next wakes up inside Rhi’s body! Sooo weird but the next day, due to "A"s influence, Rhi has the courage to break up with Justin and to finally talk to her dad who is really a great guy who always loved painting and could no longer stand his fake life as an insurance agent. Another cute “A” and Rhi have a weekend at her uncle’s mountain cabin and they fall more and more in love but “A” doesn’t meet her as planned the next day. Turns out he was in a teen having a lung transplant! Next body is a pretty Asian teen girl who wants to commit suicide. “A” is able to stay inside her for more than one day to change her mind. It IS possible to stay.

Rhi's sister doesn't believe herCourtesy of Orion Pictures

Alexander

“A” wakes as Alexander, a sweet, smart, cute classmate of Rhi’s. They really hit it off and “A” stays as Alexander for a long time, kind of messing up the real Alex’s home life. “A” wants Alex’s life. It is he that Rhi really belongs with. They are a great match but can “A” break his/her own rules and take over another person’s whole life because of love or must “A” finally move on?

Rhi with AlexanderCourtesy of Orion Pictures

Wrapping Up

Readers tell me that this film seems like both novels combined. Every Day, the film is told from Rhiannon’s point of view whereas the first novel is told from “A’s”. Although much of the basic story is the same, there are differences. Some readers I spoke to were still okay with the movie’s plot.

There isn’t really a strong crisis in the story as “A” jumps from body to body until the end when a life choice must be made by both “A” and Rhi. There is an attempt at establishing a family/marriage crisis between Rhi’s estranged parents but that is barely developed. There is a nice message of tolerance and inclusion in the movie as it is “A”s soul that Rhi loves whether “A” is a boy or a girl or of any race.

Rhi and Alexander at his houseCourtesy of Orion Pictures

Justice Smith is very good as both “good” and “bad” versions of Justin and Angourie Rice is great as confused, conflicted Rhiannon. All the young cast members, as the various versions of “A”, are convincing and relatable. You will probably root for Rhi and feel sorry for “A”.  There isn’t too much out there in the teen romance with fantasy cinema department lately so we can go three stars.

Every Day Movie Rating: 

Every Day Movie PosterCourtesy of Orion Pictures

See Every Day in theaters now!

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