There’s always tomorrow… or is there?
Based off the novel by Lauren Oliver, Before I Fall is a story about Samantha Kingston (played by Zoey Deutch). Samantha is a popular girl in high school, part of a mean girls’ clique, who ends up dying in a car crash after leaving a party on Cupid Day (Feb. 12). She wakes up the next day and learns it is the same day all over again. She continues being forced to relive this day, and in doing so, attempts to make sense of what is happening to her and how she can make this day a better one for everyone around her.
This movie was basically “Groundhog’s Day” meets “Mean Girls” except while both of those films were comedies, this one stayed strictly on the drama spectrum. There’s nothing wrong with that though. Although the plot did feel a little like something we’ve all seen before, it had its highlights. It was the kind of movie that made you want to appreciate all the people in your life, whether it’s your friends, your family, or the stranger you see every day but have never spoken to. This movie did a good job of being mushy in that kind of way. It also shows the dark side of bullying and how it can affect people. The setting in this film really turned me off however. The whole movie had a very dark, cloudy ambience almost similar to the first “Twilight” (and we all know how much people loved that movie). It was not just dreary in the outside scenes, but indoors as well. It was bad enough watching this poor girl relive the same day, but watching her do it in rain and darkness really made the movie feel a little dragged out (It was only 99 minutes). The actors all did a decent job of portraying their characters. Some characters did feel like they were forced into the story and had no real purpose. Zoey Deutsch did show some range with her character, however, it’s quite obvious she’s not very good at playing a mean girl.
Overall, I think this was an okay movie. I could definitely see that it was geared for the younger high school audience. It had some lesson-learning moments and moments that may have pulled at your heart strings, but it’s not the kind of movie that’ll make you want to watch more than once. After watching the day be repeated the third time, I just kept wondering how long before the movie would finish Before I Fall asleep.
3 out of 5
What would I have changed? (Spoilers)
Click here to read what I would Change
I wasn’t expecting a happy ending but I do wish the story focused a little more on Sam helping to change the attitudes of those around her. She never really stood up against ring leader Lindsay, and instead just accepted her: bullying, bratty self and all. She did ask once “Why are we so mean to Juliet?” but besides that, never went further into making a lasting impression on her best friend, which was made apparent when Lindsay walked into the party, pushing any and every one. Sam also never really convinced the bullied, Juliet, that life was worth living. I can’t blame the movie for that too much since this was based off a book, but I was still annoyed.
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Ariel (Contributor) is a Military brat currently living in Texas. When she's not watching the current box office hit, she spends her days reading, cooking, and finding new activities to try.