Happy Death Day

A snotty college sorority sister (Jessica Rothe) is murdered on the night of her birthday, then wakes up again that same morning, living it—and dying—over and over while she tries to solve the mystery of who keeps killing her. Writer Scott Lobdell and director Christopher Landon have the cast-iron gall to make one character say, “This whole thing reminds me of Groundhog Day”—their ripoff is as shameless as that. Needless to say, Rothe’s character hasn’t seen the Bill Murray classic, or (presumably) any of those slasher flicks where killers run around wearing creepy masks; that may be her whole problem right there. Rothe is the closest thing to a saving grace here; she has presence and wit and looks. If she can manage to drag herself clear of having to do junk like this, she may even have a future.