Before I Fall

A high-school girl (Zoey Deutch) is killed in an auto accident with her three besties (Halston Sage, Cynthy Wu, Medalion Rahimi), then wakes up to find herself living the last day of her life again—and again and again and again. Ry Russo-Young directs Maria Maggenti’s script (from Lauren Oliver’s young adult novel), and if it sounds familiar, it is: It’s Groundhog Day with teen angst and mean-girl snark instead of comedy. It’s not an advantageous trade, and the movie’s construction and editing are a shade haphazard (the cause of the accident is kept obscure longer than it should be). Still, there are compensations—an attractive cast, crisp cinematography (Michael Fimognari) and a nice pop music soundtrack. If nothing else, the movie will be worth it if it finally makes a star of Deutch; she’s overdue. J.L.