Netflix’s latest summer teen drama feels like a warm cup of cocoa on a cozy afternoon. Except, because you ran out of milk, you used water instead and all that’s left is a cup of diluted cocoa. It’s sweet and all, but nothing like the real thing. From the producers who brought you the beloved teen franchise “To All the Boys,” Netflix has released another summer romance story, “Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between,” directed by first-time director Michael Lewen. The film is adapted from Jennifer E. Smith’s 2015 bestselling young adult novel and has all the necessary ingredients to make it an ordinary but wholesome teen movie.
“Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between” follows doe-eyed teenager Clare (played by Taila Ryder), who apprehensively attends a suburban Halloween house party with her best pal, Stella (played by Ayo Edebiri). From there, Clare — quite literally — bumps into the Ferris Bueller-dressed dreamboat, Aidan (played by “To All the Boy” star Jordan Fisher). It’s evident from the start that the two have a connection, up to the point that Clare admiringly watches Aidan steal the show with his Ferris Bueller rendition of “Twist and Shout.” Talk about a meet-cute.
The pair makes the most of their first night together; they swing on swing sets, walk together in the rain, and open up about their college futures. Aidan wants to be a musician and attend Berklee College of Music despite his parents’ wish for him to be a doctor, while Clare hopes to attend Dartmouth to become a lawyer. At this point, viewers expect that this is the beginning of something worth rooting for. Only it’s not. By the night’s end, the budding couple already plan their breakup months in the future because Clare doesn’t want a romance that lasts beyond high school — seems realistic, right?
After their breakup pact officially begins, or as Clare calls it, “the prologue,” the film speeds through months of their senior romance in a half-baked but conveniently aesthetic montage. They hold hands in a hallway, dance together in a living room, enjoy outdoorsy activities together and share intimate moments on a bed — repeatedly. The viewer sees months’ worth of a relationship in under a few minutes. “Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between” rushes through key milestones of their love story and instead gives viewers a teenage atmospheric daydream that looks like it belongs in an airy EDM music video.
By the time the movie enters its second act, “the goodbye,” Clare and Aidan’s relationship does not feel like it genuinely even exists. Without these characters’ proper development and narrative-driven motivation, Clare and Aidan lack the depth to compellingly carry the movie. Sure, their relationship is sweet in a “fall in love with the idea” way, but they don’t feel like real people. But hey, at least there’s a killer soundtrack you can look up by the end of the movie.
As Clare and Aidan’s one-dimensional relationship almost comes to an end, the pair talks about just how “easy-breezy” their breakup will be. And we believe them, given how friendly their chemistry seems to be. Jordan Fisher shines as Aidan with his charisma that naturally draws in viewers. However, Talia Ryder as Clare gives a somewhat vanilla performance that doesn’t mix well with Fisher’s sparkling on-screen presence. Given the differing skill in each actor’s performances and the nine-year age difference between them, the two seem to share an amiable bond rather than a “Lara-Jean and Peter Kavinsky” high school sweetheart-type love.
However, the couple does share cute, heartwarming moments that make it enjoyable to watch as a simple teen romance movie. When Aidan takes Clare on their final date, which recreates all their “firsts” in the relationship, it’s hard not to find them endearing. But it’s not a connection that screams hot-and-sizzling chemistry.
When Clare realizes that a clean break may not be possible amid Aidan’s huge romantic gestures, she calls her bestie, Stella, to crash their date. And Aidan’s laid-back buddy, Scotty (played by Nico Hiraga), also comes along for the ride. The scene-stealing supporting characters provide a comic relief that adds energy to the flatness of the story. Their lively arrival reminds viewers just how much of a teen movie “Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between” is.
As a wild night continues, they dance in a limo, break into their school and one of them sustains an injury that requires a visit to the ER. And to finish off the night, they head to a beach house party. There are moments of wholesomeness between the bunch that makes viewers nostalgic for their own experiences before college. Stella and Scotty provide a lightheartedness to the movie, making them feel like they could easily be your own friends.
As the couple goes back and forth over whether they want to continue their relationship beyond high school, the film’s emotional tension isn’t as hard-hitting as it should be. Because the film’s first act’s time-saver montage speeds through their high-school romance, the stakes for the relationship are low.
Clare and Aidan are each other’s first love, and it should feel heart-wrenching to watch them wrestle with potentially breaking up. But viewers don’t get a good sense of who each character is beyond golden-boy aspiring musician and studious Ivy-League sweetheart. Without a solid foundation to build off of, there is no room for each character’s development and, therefore, little investment for viewers.
“Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between” is a charming enough, formulaic movie that delivers a sweet love story in an albeit predictable way. There are tender moments between the leads, but they lack sincerity and the chemistry feels forced. The film had the potential to build complex characters but instead prioritized a poppy, aesthetic feel that didn’t go beyond the surface level. It’s hardly one of its kind and is an overall forgettable film. If a simple cup of watered-down cocoa is what you like, then by all means, go ahead and enjoy it. But if you prefer a real cup of cocoa, you’d better just go to the store and buy more milk.
