Ray's Review: Midnight Sun

Midnight Sun

Rating: C

Midnight Sun the new film starring Bella Thorne and Patrick Schwarzenegger hits theaters this weekend and I hope you have stocked up on tissues because with this movie you will probably need it. This film is about a young woman named Katie (Thorne) who suffers from a rare condition called XP where her body is literally harmed by the sunlight and too much of it can actually kill her. Forced to mostly remain indoors behind special windows, sleep all day, and stay up all night she has a pretty quiet life with her, her guitar and her dad (played by Rob Riggle). She watches the world pass by her bedroom window including the boy of her dreams, Charlie (Schwarzenegger). One evening she ventures out to play music at the train station late at night and happens to run straight into the guy she has always dreamed of. She avoids telling him about her condition to keep things normal between the two, but when an accident leaves her exposed to the sun, the truth must ultimately come to light. 

This film is full of teenage angst, drama, and awkwardness. The story here is pretty standard and predictable. This is an all too familiar tale and has the vides of  A Walk To Remember, but a much lesser version. You know where this is headed even before we star. Let's take a second to talk about the cheesiness of this film. OMG, it is over the top at some points and brings out an almost unbearable level of cringe moments. The awkward way some teens navigate relationships is kicked way up to eleven in this film and the acting doesn't help. The plot itself had some moments that were less than believable from the aspect of what most teenagers can manage/pull off.

Let's talk about the acting while we are on the subject. Bella Thorne gives a moderately decent job in this role. I feel like she overplayed a lot of the moments. Like you can be weird around your crush but she was like borderline too much to bear when she first meets Charlie. I know they were doing this in the name of humor, but it was a little much for me. She got better as the film progressed. Patrick Schwarzenegger did a decent job in his role which is just being attractive and smiling a lot and having a hell of a lot more cash than most 18-year-olds. He is the spitting image of his real-life dad, Arnold. and speaking of dad's Rob Riggle is easily the best actor in the film in the role of Kate's father. He is also the main reason I cried at all in the film. Seeing the heartbreak he can portray really hits you in the feels. 

Overall this is a very much a guilty pleasure film.  It is hardly anything deep, but much more like what you would find on the Lifetime and Hallmark channels of your TV,  It is hardly the worst film I have seen, but it is far from the best love story of it's kind. While the young cast still needs some time to get their acting feet wet, Rob Riggle shines in this role. If you are looking for an easy breezy film that will probably have you needing your own tissues then this is the film for you. We had to score this one with a C. Not the worst thing you could watch at the box office, but far from the best thing playing this weekend. 

Midnight Sun opens in theaters everywhere March 23.


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