Midnight Sun (2018)

Midnight Sun is the kind of tender teen romance that wears its heart on its sleeve and somehow makes that feel like a feature, not a flaw—an earnest, moonlit love story where every stolen moment matters. Director Scott Speer gives the film a soft, music-soaked glow, letting Bella Thorne’s vulnerable sincerity and Patrick Schwarzenegger’s easy warmth do the heavy lifting as attraction turns into something achingly real. The vibe is sweet, wistful, and unabashedly emotional, the sort of movie that invites you to lean in, listen to the guitar strums, and let the feelings hit when they come. It won’t be for viewers allergic to melodrama, but if you’re open to a sincerely romantic tearjerker with charm and a strong sense of youthful longing, it’s surprisingly easy to fall under its spell.

Midnight Sun is aiming for a swoony, tearjerker first-love romance with a built-in ticking clock, and it does deliver a glossy, earnest vibe that some viewers find comforting. The problem is it’s so determined to make you cry that the story can feel engineered and predictable, with characters making conveniently dramatic choices rather than believable ones. If you’re sensitive to inaccurate or exploitative portrayals of illness, the handling of XP may pull you right out of the movie and leave a bad taste. Watch it if you want a simple, sentimental teen romance and you’re fine with melodrama; skip it if you need realism, originality, or subtle writing.