What is love? I know what you’re thinking: “Baby don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt me no more.” Yes, I’m thinking it, too. Independent of Haddaway’s rhetorical answer, however, today’s film is all about the exploration of love in its purest form. And so again I ask, what is love? Or, better yet, what are the basic building blocks of love? Does it require consistency? Age? Words? Deeds? Physical expression? Does it require corporeal form? Does it require the same corporeal form? You wouldn’t believe how relevant that last question is.
A wasn’t supposed to fall in love. He/she/they/it probably knew better. I’m making excuses because I like A, whatever A is. But let’s face it, when your self-assessed mononym is no more than an SAT answer, there are probably a slew of things you have not yet considered. It’s possible A was dying to fall in love and figured out how with the right person, Rhiannon (Angourie Rice), while being the right person, Justin (Justice Smith). Ok, this is going to take some explaining – A is some sort of benevolent intelligent parasite constantly jumping from body to body. A has no corporeal form by itself, but assumes a new one Every Day. We the audience turn a blind eye because A makes the rules clear: it leaps into a new person every midnight; it tries never to mess up the life it assumes for a day; and it never plays Nickleback even if requested. I mean, that’s just evil.
In case you’re wondering, there seems no overarching “Quantum Leap” requirement to the body jumping. A is consequence-free to do as they please with Tuesday’s body. It’s less actual “Quantum Leap” and more like the positive flip-side of Fallen.
We give A a pass because even if A controls the host, A seems to have no control over the process. This makes us sad. There’s love, but there’s no consistency. Is it possible we’re projecting? Why does love require consistency? Why should love require consistency? Truth is we probably also give A a pass because A seems really nice, like the kind of disembodied entity you’d want to take home to meet your own entities.
Rhiannon gets the bright idea to ditch school with A as Justin. “Is that something we do?” A/Justin inquires. Well, pal, it is now. They have the kind of day romantics dream about with beaches and aquariums and laughing and kissing and explaining why Rhiannon’s dad is a total basket case. Ah, young love. In retrospect, this is cheating; this is stealing love. We don’t know when the story opens that Justin isn’t Justin. We don’t find out until about five bodies later. It wasn’t fair of A to take advantage of Rhiannon’s playfulness. Can we excuse it because A falls in love? Can we excuse it because A hasn’t the capacity to interact without being a parasite? I think yes. Also because the A version of Justin is far superior to the natural version of Justin, who is, unfortunately, afflicted with being a typical American teenage boy.
So how do you convince the girl you love that it’s really you, you’re just in another body? And another body after that … and after that … ? That is the quandary. And is it healthy, this love? Eventually, you get to a point where mooning after somebody while being somebody new Every Day is detrimental, like when A becomes ultra-religious Nathan (Lucas Jade Zumann). I can’t say I agreed with the portrayal of Godsquaders in the film, but the point 
is obvious: directing a foreign body to actions, intentions, or even some thoughts can be invasive, and that’s putting it mildly. And we all just give it a pass because A fell in love. Oh yeah, Every Day is one of those “works in the movies, but not IRL.”
Well, even the movie is gonna figure out eventually how unhealthy this pattern is. Probably just best to stick to your Imperius Curse for the day and let all else be equal, right?
I kinda loved this movie. Yeah, it didn’t do a great job on the religious. And for an open-minded celebration of love in all forms, it still seemed to have no more than a binary understanding of gender, and if I’m being fair, I think it cheated a little in presentation of potential hosts. Only once is A a handicapped kid and the scene cuts to a new day the second we’ve introduced the character. Yet this film is a pure exploration of love and it’s hard to deny the sincerity therein. Every Day also asked the impossible: hey you twenty different actors – you’ve all gotta be the same person in love with the same girl the same way and make it look convincing. Kudos, director Michael Sucsy. I bought it. But then, I’m a sucker for romance and Every Day with romance is a good day.
♪I’m Justin for a moment
Caught in between Ben and Manny
And time is ticking
Counting on down till my next life
I’m Bettie Lou for a moment
She feels better than ever
And I got fired
Making fast food, cuz I’m a noob
Justin there’s still time for you
Shoulder chip you’ve got to lose
Justin, don’t be a douche, tool, or sieve
Cuz I’ve got about a million more lives to live♫
Rated PG-13, 95 Minutes
Director: Michael Sucsy
Writer: Jesse Andrews
Genre: In love with the world, one person at a time
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Doomed romantics
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Mike Pence
♪ Parody Inspired by “100 Years”
