All the Bright Places

Director: Brett Haley
Year Released: 2020
Rating: 0.0

Deeply troubled high school student Theodore (Justice Smith) sees classmate Violet (Elle Fanning) attempting suicide (she's despondent over the loss of her sister in a car accident), stops her and then forcibly intrudes in her life - she's reluctant at first but he's persistent.  The foul and tainted inkwell of John Green informs every loathsome second of this shameless exercise in Sadcore: Theo and Violet take several trips (to the highest point in Indiana, to a lake, to a roller coaster in a man's back yard) and seem to bond, but he keeps flaking out and acting bizarre (you could figure out from the beginning he'd tear down those meticulously placed - and color-coded - Post-Its).  Theo's (inevitable) suicide (by drowning) exists solely for Violet to "see the world in a different light" ... and the last fifteen minutes play out like a terrible impersonation of Terrence Malick.  This is the nonsense you're feeding today's teens?  Do better.