Parents' Guide to Before I Fall

This well-acted young-adult adaptation explores powerful themes about making second chances count and seeing beyond the superficial to what really matters. Deutch -- looking very similar to her mother, Lea Thompson, circa Some Kind of Wonderful -- does a fabulous job carrying the film. She appears in every scene and has to modify her mood as Sam goes through the stages of grief while dealing with the confusion, anger, and determination of repeating the same day again and again. It's particularly impressive to watch Sam see her friends and family in a new light as she approaches the day with different attitudes -- sometimes abandoning all caution and acting aggressively, other times being sweet to her parents (Jennifer Beals plays her mother) and little sister in a way she hasn't in years.

Director Ry Russo-Young captures the spirit of Oliver's book while smartly making certain aspects a bit more ambiguous. The cast members are all up to the task, particularly Miller as the kind and encouraging Kent, and Sage as ice-queen Lindsay, who knows when to let the subtlest vulnerability show. But it's ultimately Deutch's performance that makes Before I Fall so moving. Her Sam is utterly believable. It takes her a while of repeating Cupid Day to perfect it; once she does, it's a beautiful, bittersweet day.