Review: Every Day

Aidalice Rodriguez

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Theatrical+Movie+Poster%3B+Ambush+Entertainment.+Cold+Iron+Pictures

Theatrical Movie Poster; Ambush Entertainment. Cold Iron Pictures

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wake up and go through the day living life as someone else? On February 23, 2018, the film version of the 2012 New York Times bestselling novel, Every Day, written by David Levithan, was released into theaters.The film stars Angourie Rice as 16-year-old Rhiannon who falls in love with “A,” a traveling consciousness who “wakes up in a different body every day, always someone [their] age, never too far from the last, never the same person twice.”

One day, “A” wakes up in the body of Justin, who he most love the day as. Once at school, “A”/Justin is approached by Rhiannon, who so happens to be Justin’s girlfriend. Rhiannon then persuades him to leave school with her to have a day off together. They both enjoy a day going to various places, which include an aquarium and the beach. However, at the end of the day, “A” realizes that he/she has fallen for Rhiannon, a love that she also shared. However, her love is for who she believes is a changed version of Justin.

The next day Rhiannon is saddened to find out that Justin has seemingly gone back to his usual rude and careless self. On the other hand, “A” has woken up in the body of a new student, named Amy. She uses the advantage of being a new student and asks to shadow Rhiannon for the day.

On the following morning, “A” wakes up as Nathan and attends a party, which he heard about the previous day in order to see Rhiannon. Catching her attention through dancing, they both begin to speak again. However, their conversation is ruined when Justin begins to chase Nathan because he thinks that he is attempting to steal Rhiannon. A few days later, Rhiannon gets a mysterious texts asking her to meet them alone, which she follows through believing it is Nathan. Once at the designated place, “A” in the body of Megan, tells Rhiannon that she has come in place of Nathan. She then tells her about switching bodies every day and that she was Justin, Amy and Nathan. Rhiannon, thinking it is some kind of sick joke, gets upset and begins to leave when Megan asks her if they could meet again, which Rhiannon reluctantly agrees to.

The next day, “A” as James, meets Rhiannon and tells her about how he has been switching bodies ever since he was a baby, and that he doesn’t know where he comes from. He also shares with her his private Instagram in which he posts selfies of the different people he has lived through, telling her that that is where they could communicate through. The following day, “A” now as the transgender Vic, confesses to Rhiannon and convinces her to give him “A,” a chance at a relationship, telling her it is not the body that matters but what’s on the inside.

One morning, “A” surprisingly wakes up in Rhiannon herself. On that day “A” as Rhiannon fights with Justin due to his attitude and lack of shared intentions, and bonds with Rhiannon’s family. The next day, once back in her body, Rhiannon uses her new found courage and breaks up with Justin. However, “A” wakes up in the body of depressed and suicidal Kelsea, who Rhiannon convives “A” to save by staying in her body until Kelsea’s father returns.

Once “A” reaches the body of Rhiannon’s friend Alexander, Rhiannon convinces “A” to stay in the body so they can see each other and be together. This works for a while. However, “A” begins to feel guilty for selfishly taking Alexander’s life away. “A” shares these feelings with Rhiannon and they ultimately decide that they can’t further continue with the relationship. The movies end with “A” driving off to a different state and Rhiannon talking to the real Alexander.

This story, although it has a good message, was way too confusing. The plot itself had way too many issues. “A” says they can never be the same person twice, yet ends up staying in the bodies of Kelsea and Alexander for more than 24 hours. The movie happened in the matter of a few weeks but felt so rushed to the point where sometimes it was hard to keep up with what was going on.

The ending was upsetting because throughout the whole movie, Rhiannon and “A” had been building a relationship and at the last minute it all ends and Rhiannon stays with Alexander. Despite the various flaws, Every Day did bring to light an important message that love is not defined by the body and appearance but by what is on the inside.