When We First Met

This movie basically doesn’t have an original bone in its body. Wait … movies don’t have bones. They are celluloid. Actually, movies are mostly digital now, so they don’t even have the film stuff. They are just computer megabyte things that are easily manipulated and … okay, that was a bad comparison. Let me start over. This movie isn’t the most original thing you will see this year. In fact, it rips off a lot of movies (Groundhog Day, Back to the Future, Every Rom-Com Ever Made). And, yet, I have to recommend it for the charm of its leads, Adam Devine, Alexandra Daddario and Shelley Hennig. Devine plays Noah, a goofy but sweet guy who meets Avery (Daddario) at a costume party. They hit it off, but he winds up in the friend zone, watching her wind up with another man (Robbie Amell). Through the movie magic of time travel, Noah travels back to the night he met Avery (many times) to try and win her over. In some scenarios, he does, but complications ensue. This thing is pretty gosh darned cute, and I enjoyed watching it. It’s not original, but it is clever, and often funny, like when Noah makes the mistake of going “full asshole” on one of his time trips. The movie actually does take a slightly original left turn in the final act, giving it some sense of uniqueness. Bottom line: if you like Devine and Daddario, you will be in good shape, bolstered by Hennig bringing class to the “best friend” role. (Available on Netflix.)