April 1, 2015
Day Of Youth
Padraic Maroney READ TIME: 2 MIN.
After injuring herself in a bicycle accident, Rhee wakes up in the hospital with no recollection of the last three and a half years of her life. As she tries to put the pieces together regarding the missing time, her exes Nat and Aran also see her situation as an opportunity. Each sets out to win her back, while Birdo, who was dating her right before the accident, tries to jog her memory of their brief time together.
The set up for Day of Youth sounds like something made for a paint-by-numbers romantic comedy. Unfortunately, this isn't the latest Lifetime movie of the week, and writer-director Jared Vincenti doesn't play the situation for laughs. Instead, he is more interested in examining the dynamics of Rhee's condition and the love triangle that it has re-awoken.
The problem at the heart of "Day of Youth" is that Rhee isn't likeable, even during the flashbacks that show how she meets each of the supporting characters. It's hard to understand why anyone -- let alone three people -- would be fighting to win her affections. Without seeing much of her prior to the accident, the audience is left to formulate their opinions based on post-accident Rhee, and it isn't someone you can use as the central character in a movie.
That's not to say that the film doesn't have other issues. Vincenti didn't seem to put too much thought into some of the smaller details in the script. Just days after waking up in the hospital bed, he has Rhee jumping on a bike and riding around in the streets. He also doesn't do much to fully develop the characters or to paint full pictures of their lives.
One saving grace that the film has is the chemistry between Ally Tully, who plays Rhee, and Joe Kidawski, who plays Aran. It's not hard to see the two as a couple, and when the two of them are alone on screen they genuinely seem to be having fun. But too often during the film it feels like Vincenti just turned his camera on to a group of his friends and said Let's make a movie, leaving you wishing for a case of amnesia as well!