This movie is generally regarded as a horror-themed Groundhog Day, and that’s exactly what you get. This movie was a perfect way to spend a few hours on a random Saturday afternoon.
Tree (Yep. Tree) wakes up after an apparent one-night stand, and after reacting like the unpleasant human being she is, goes about the rest of her day in the same manner. Oh, also, it’s her birthday. We know this because her phone has been programmed to sing “It’s At the end of the night, she’s murdered, and she wakes up in the same dorm room (a phrase she utters in the same tone of voice as I might say “Trump voter”) after the same one-night stand, on her birthday, and goes through her entire day with an overwhelming sense of deja vu. Until she’s murdered again. And wakes up again in the same dorm room, still on her birthday, and starts to realize that something weird is happening.
Living the same day over and over isn’t anything new, neither is the concept of doing it so you can change something about yourself, and there’s nothing new in this movie. That said, it was funny and harmless. I’d have no problem letting a teenager see this. For a movie where the protagonist is murdered over and over, there was a surprisingly small amount of blood or gore. Really, the creepiest part of this movie is the baby mask Tree’s killer wears. Apparently it’s her college’s mascot, which…. Yeah. (Side note – I have a deep and abiding terror of dolls, so this really was the creepiest part of this movie for me. Its ick factor cannot be overstated).
Overall this was really fun. There’s a sweet romantic storyline weaved through it, and Tree ends up being a surprisingly likable character. All of them are, really. There are a few characters I don’t need to spend any time with, but for the most part, I liked all of the main players.
Bottom line – if you’re looking for something Halloweeny, this is a good bet, as long as you’re not expecting to be genuinely scared. Unless you’re the woman who sat on the other side of the theater from me and gasped and moaned every time there was a change in music tempo. Seriously; I don’t know if it was her first horror movie or what, but wow. She seemed genuinely freaked out by this movie.
