However, though the film and its screenplay follow the book very well, it doesn't always translate well. Some moments are superb but it starts off slowly and for those who haven't read the book, they will probably be confused. Justin (Justice Smith) is an average teenager, I suppose and one day he wakes up inhabited by the spirit 'A'. He plays on a sports team but he has a girlfriend, Rhiannon (Angourie Rice) whom 'A' falls in love with. Rhiannon has her own struggles, her father (Michael Cram) suffered a nervous breakdown a few years ago and her mother has been working non-stop and possibly cheating on her husband ever since. Unfortunately, Rhiannon doesn't have much of a personality or at least it doesn't come across on the screen. She seems nice, smart, a good friend and loyal for some unknown reason to Justin, who is really a jerk. But soon she is obsessed with 'A'. Naturally, she is incredibly skeptical of the story of 'A' switching bodies every day, waking up as an entirely different person, the same age and roughly in the same area, but once that story is deemed credible, that becomes her whole world and 'A' is the same way, ruining the lives of those s/he inhabits. Michael (Jake Sim) is supposed to be flying to Hawaii with his family but can't because he doesn't want to leave Rhiannon and not come back. But, on the other hand, one girl is deeply depressed, a cutter and suicidal, so 'A' forces him/herself to stay in her body and tell her father the truth; hopefully that person survives as she is finally getting the help she needs. Finally, 'A' wakes up in the body of Alexander (Owen Teague), an acquitance of Rhiannon, who is actually a really great, genuine person but 'A' is ruining his life, wanting to spend some much with Rhiannon, and upsetting his family. 'A' has always wanted a family to love him and Alexander has that. After all, Alexander is the person Rhiannon should be with. And that's hopefully who she ends up with.
While the story demonstrates some interesting points, after all 'A' shifts bodies all the time, but Rhiannon is still attracted to all of them, meaning that looks, race and gender do not matter, only personality and essence. And whose dreams are more important? Should 'A' do what s/he wants or just live out the day for that specific person as best s/he can?
However, there are problems. These kids seem to have much more freedom than I did at that age an none of the poor, underpriviledged bodies 'A' occupied in the book are shown, though we do have a glimpse of 'A' as a blind boy. And, how is Rhiannon able to text 'A' all the time when 'A' would have a new cell phone and number daily? That is a glaring and unacceptable plot hole. And you really have to have read the book to understand this film. I feel if that hadn't been done, you would be lost and left in the dark and write this film off as a trifle instead of something meaningful which it strives to be.
That being said, the points are well done and the acting is largely decent with an especially good Debby Ryan as Rhiannon's sister, Jolene stealing every scene she is in. But I just wish this had translated better from paper to screen. Grade: B
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