'Hello, Goodbye, and Everything In' Review: A Cheesy, Upside-Down Teenage Romance

It says a lot about the state of modern romance that even the most mainstream teen rom-coms find inspiration in deconstructing traditional relationship structures. Based on the self-titled YA novel by Jennifer E. Smith and with a screenplay by Ben York Jones and Amy Reed, Netflix's latest teen romance "Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between" follows two teenagers who plan their breakup during their very first date. No longer the only province of adult rom-coms influenced by Woody Allen, the neurotic, commitment-phobic teenager jaded by parental divorce and social media has finally come to YA. Unfortunately, in this case they are much less interesting than it seems.

Playing with a whimsical structure, "Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between" begins with a cutesy encounter, fast-forwards through a final-year whirlwind romantic edit, then spends most of its brief 84-minute runtime on a highly planned final "break" date. As Aidan (Jordan Fisher) and Clare (Talia Ryder) relive the highlights of their epic ten-month relationship (an eternity in high school), they come to doubt the reasons for their breakup.

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The film is divided into the requisite parts of its title bite: it opens with "The Hello", moves hastily into "The In Between", and lingers in the uncertain "Goodbye". Unfortunately, this cutesy structure only serves as an effective distraction, and the very conventional characters barely emerge from their vague cookie-cutter molds. The fast-paced dialogue and mature but wholesome humor create an overall aura of smart high school rapport, aided by a lively supporting performance from comedian Ayo Edebiri ("Big Mouth"). But by trying to be everything in between, the movie ends up not being much.

Returning to the town of her youth after an adolescence spent on the move, Clare fears getting too involved with anyone in her senior year. Too smitten to care, upbeat singer Aidan convinces her to try her luck with him. In order to ward off Clare's apprehension, they agree to break up at the end of the year, no matter what happens in the meantime. Sparks fly through the months of the school year, as evidenced by the dizzying montage titled "The In Between," peppered with Christmas tree decorations and family-friendly meals, but with very little detail about how or the why.

Dropping in front of a dizzying clip, the hodgepodge way the script plays over time offers little to grab, zooming in before giving either main character a lot of personality. Although brief flashback-like reminiscences fill in some of the blanks, the film asks audiences to care before giving them a good reason to. The time jump gimmick that should be fun and clever ends up pushing all the air out of the script, leaving it off the hook for any background scenes or dramatic tension. As the romantic night unfolds, it's unclear why or how things took a turn.

It's interesting to imagine teenagers having enough foresight to plan a breakup before they even get involved, though there isn't enough dialogue to give either of them credence. characters for this feigned maturity. In a predictable explanation, Clare is afraid of becoming like her mother, who has a different boyfriend in every state but has never given up on love. In another snap, Aidan dreams of music school while his parents have medical school in mind, and Clare gives him the boost he needs to pursue his dreams. The film seems to struggle to take their teenage anxieties seriously, knowing (as most people over 18 do) that life is long and you never know where you'll end up.

Nowadays, it's cool to be different, and with little to set it apart from other YA movies, "Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between" barely stands out from the crowd.

Rating: C-

"Hello, Goodbye and Everything" is now streaming on Netflix.

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