‘Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall’ review: Jenna Ortega’s romance makes us want to scream

I have never objected to a romance movie as strongly as I did when I watched it winter spring summer or autumn.

Led by Wednesday Co-stars Jenna Ortega and Percy Hynes White (who will not return for season 2), winter spring summer or autumn Seems to think this is Generation Z before sunrise. Two unlikely people connect on a train! — and embarking on a romance with a seemingly certain deadline, as one half of the duo is heading off to college in the fall.

not only winter spring summer or autumntimetable than before sunriseOne night, just Feel Also longer. Generic teen romance tropes and cringe-worthy dialogue don’t help, but cardboard characterization and a series of distressing “meet-cute” moments filled with red flags take the film from bland to a downright painful to watch.

what is winter spring summer or autumn about?

The four-day event – one day for each season of the year – winter spring summer or autumn It tells the story of overachiever Remy (Ortega) and slacker Barnes (Hines White). They first met on a winter day when they both took a train to New York City. But in fact, they had crossed paths earlier, when Barnes discovered Remy on a neighbor’s roof. He was outside smoking, and she had just finished an interview about a prestigious Google scholarship she had won. He is a (bad) boy and she is a (good) girl. Can I be more obvious?

After Barnes’ early voyeuristic behavior and the way he followed Remy into her train car, the fact that his first words to her were “I’m not a stalker” isn’t reassuring. No matter how self-deprecating Hines White’s delivery is, this cute encounter feels like Remy meeting someone who won’t take “no” for an answer.

Things only got worse when Barnes commented on how Remy’s “Hispanic thing” would help her get into college, and then tried to make up for Remy’s understandable reception for that comment with a Talking Heads playlist s damage. (She was so focused on school that she never heard of them.) Remy finally shut things down when Barnes suggested they go on a date, which landed her in the ER, but the damage was done. Thanks to Barnes’ persistence, he has gotten into Remy’s mind. When they reconnected at a dance later that spring, she became more interested in him and the two began a relationship.

winter spring summer or autumnThe romance feels more like horror.

The lead-up to Remy and Barnes’ first kiss is full of warning signs, including a scene in which Barnes drives them to a sushi restaurant, somehow requiring him to park in a dark alley. Remy joked: “If you kill me, my parents will kill you.” Then run, girl! This guy already comes across as a stalker; let’s not add any more crimes to his resume.

winter spring summer or autumn Portraying Barnes as someone who expands Raimi’s horizons is like a manic pixie dream boy. He introduces her to Talking Heads! He explained the New York City subway to her! He planted the idea of ​​a gap year in her mind, disrupting her perfect plan to go from Harvard to circuit judge! However as many as winter spring summer or autumn Barnes tries to be cute, but his behavior hides an evil quality.

Take the moment after their sushi date, when he drives Remy to his place without telling her where they’re going. Remy expressed discomfort with the entry and the sexual expectations that might come with it. Even though he assured her that wasn’t what he was thinking, how could she know? OMG, what should the audience do? We’ve seen him spy on her, follow her into a train, and then chase her, even though she’s uncomfortable with it. He is slowly moving her boundaries so that Remy’s agency seems more like an illusion than an active choice. The only reaction the film gets from Ortega in these scenes is a charming giggle or smile, and we see her star power completely underutilized in projects like this scream and Wednesday.

Once their relationship truly begins, winter spring summer or autumn Transformed into a completely different movie. Gone are the uncomfortable courtship scenes, replaced by familiar teen movie melodrama: worries about college, strained relationships with parents, the consequences of drunk driving. Here, Raimi and Barnes encounter characters that are completely different from the ones we met in the first half of the film, with Barnes seemingly losing all of his lazy energy and Raimi gaining a new sense of recklessness. Maybe they have changed about each other, but we don’t see enough of their relationship to understand that. Of course, given the painful way they met, maybe that’s a relief. winter spring summer or autumn This isn’t a romance you’d want to spend an entire year on – even an hour and a half feels like enough.

winter spring summer or autumn The film received its world premiere review at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. Its release date is TBD.