Everything, Everything (2017)

Everything, Everything captures the lightning-bolt feeling of first love with a freshness that’s hard to fake: two young people looking at each other and suddenly seeing a wider world. Stella Meghie directs with a light, stylish touch—folding in humor and dreamy, imaginative flourishes that make Maddy’s sheltered life feel both tender and urgent—while Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson bring genuine warmth and easy chemistry to every glance and hesitant step forward. It’s a romantic drama that understands how scary and exhilarating it is to want something bigger than the life you’ve been handed, and it keeps its tone buoyant even when emotions run deep. If you’re allergic to earnest YA romance or prefer cynicism to swoon, it may not convert you—but if you want a heartfelt, visually charming reminder of how love can feel like oxygen, this one’s worth the leap.

Everything, Everything wants to be a glossy, heartfelt YA romance about first love colliding with fear, control, and the craving to actually live—and it mostly coasts on that sweet, earnest intention. The problem is the screenplay leans hard into familiar beats and big emotional swings, so if you’re allergic to melodrama or can spot every plot turn a mile away, you may find yourself rolling your eyes instead of swooning. It also has a very clean, pastel, “sanitized” look that fits the premise but can make the whole thing feel a bit manufactured, and the story’s big reveal may either hit you as poignant or make earlier scenes feel less meaningful. Still, Amandla Stenberg and Nick Robinson are likable together, and if you want a safe, pretty, tear-jerker romance without too much edge, it’ll do the job.