African-American actress Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson star in the teenage romance in “Everything, Everything” as a pair of adorable kids in the first blush of puppy love. It’s a rather typical and straightforward love story, loaded with obstacles that love is required to conquer.
Based on the Nicola Yoon’s novel about young love, director Stella Meghie tells us the story of a young teenager, Maddy, who has spent her life inside a sterile house because of an immune system disorder that leaves her catastrophically vulnerable to diseases. For those of a certain age, we will recall the emotional impact of “Bubble Boy.”
A new family moves next door to Maddy that includes Olly, a boy who appears moody, based on his back wardrobe but is actually an old-fashioned, romantic soul. He observes Maddy, looking out of her window and strikes up a friendship with her that begins with handwritten signs, and progresses to texting and beyond.
In choosing actress Amandla Stenberg (Rue from “The Hunger Games”) to bring Maddy to life, director Meghie hit pay dirt because her charm is utterly convincing, filled with longing but enough stoic stature to be resigned to her circumstances and limitations. Nick Robinson (“Melissa & Joey”) is a good fit for Olly, who has teenage issues that will resonate with many young people, and that’s dealing with his agitating father who has a drinking problem.
In an interesting casting twist, Anika Noni Rose plays Maddy’s mother, a doctor who is protective, but the role feels thin in Rose’s hands. Also vital to the story is Carla (Ana de la Reguera), Maddy’s longtime nurse, a champion of romance, who takes the leap of faith that helps young Maddy and Olly develop their relationship.
Unfortunately, like the true end of first love, the story begins to crumble at the end. None the less, for female teenage audiences who enjoy a good cry at the cinema, they will not care about story structure. They will be rooting for romance and the young couple on the screen and hoping, somewhere, that love—like that—would find them, too.
“Everything, Everything” is now playing.