Imagine if you were forced to relive the last day of your life on a never-ending loop until you finally had a realized you have a chance to do everything right that day? That is the premise for Zoey Deutch's new film Before I Fall. I am not going to lie, I actually enjoyed this movie way more than I thought I would. It's Mean Girls meets Groundhog Day in this new teen mystery drama. Now while that may not sound fun for some of you, plenty of you out there can see why that would be awesome. I loved the clever idea behind groundhog day and who wasn't a fan of the snarky drama that was Mean Girls? The twist on this film is that the thing that triggers this day isn't Sam (Deutch) tucking herself quietly into bed at night, it is a horrific car accident that takes her life. The film is based on the book written by Lauren Oliver and manages to carry with it as much heart and depth as the novel originally brought to the story.
Sam's living a very superficial life with her pack of friends. Actress Halston Sage takes on the role of head of the pack as Lindsey. She is your stereotypical gorgeous blonde with an attitude as big as her level of popularity. Of course, we have our outcast girl as well, named Juliet, played by Elena Kampouris. Like in Mean Girls, Juliet is the former best friend of Lindsey from back in 5th grade and who is now constantly tormented by her for some mysterious reason that is revealed to us later in the story. Sam's not one to make waves and is pretty much a follower in her group. She is doing what everyone expects her to do. She is pretty, popular, and is supposed to lose her virginity to her douche-bag super popular boyfriend that evening at a party. She has pushed away from friends she grew up with and is basically living out her high school senior year as teenage royalty. It isn't until the incident occurs and she is forced to relive her last day over and over on a loop that she starts to see all the things she has been taking for granted and all the good she can do in the world.
Much like Groundhog Day, though, you know this ride can't last forever and sooner or later she has to find a way out of this. That is when things take an unexpected twist for me. Don't worry, no spoilers here, but trust me, the ending is not what I expected. I also feel like this is my favorite role of Zoey Deutch's yet. She really comes into her own with this film and for me, it was great to see on screen.
This movie scored an easy B+ from me for being entertaining, honest, and even bringing a few tears to my eyes. I will definitely be watching this one again and recommend you take some time to check it out too.
Before I Fall hits theaters everywhere March 3rd!