Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Every Day Blu-ray Movie Review

Date with an A(ngel)

Reviewed by Michael Reuben June 6, 2018

Impossible romances are always the most intense. Think of Tristan and Isolde, Lancelot and Guinevere or Romeo and Juliet. And then there's the love between teenage Rhiannon (Angourie Rice) and a mysterious entity known only as "A", which is the subject of Every Day, a filmed adaptation of the young adult novel by David Levithan (Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist). "A" is a disembodied spirit who inhabits a body for twenty-four hours, then moves on to another—which means that, once he and Rhiannon meet, they have to keep finding each other again every day.

We first meet "A" when he wakes up in the body of Justin (Justice Lake), Rhiannon's boyfriend, who usually takes her for granted but on this day is oddly attentive. "A" is so moved by Rhiannon that he continues to seek her out in each of his new daily identities, which are always about the same age and geographically close to his previous host. As "A" gradually works up the courage to tell Rhiannon who he (or it) really is, and then has to overcome her understandable skepticism, the two lovers gradually realize their dilemma. They can never truly be together unless "A" manages to remain in the same body permanently, thereby depriving that particular host of his (or her) own life.

The original book was told from "A's" point of view, but the screenplay by Jesse Andrews (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) shifts the focus to Rhiannon, who has to carry the picture while a parade of young actors portrays "A". Fortunately, Angourie Rice, who was one of the best things in Shane Black's The Nice Guys, rises to the challenge, portraying Rhiannon with a nicely balanced mixture of wide-eyed innocence and wisdom beyond her years. Rice's ability to interact consistently with each new "A" alter ego is essential to maintaining the illusion that they're all the same person.

"A's" origin is never explained, but its ability to function from day to day could only exist in an age shaped by iPhones and the internet. "A" relies on alarms set by Siri to ensure that the latest host is home in bed by midnight, when the spirit migrates to a new body; it uses an Instagram account to keep a record of its identities, changing the password every night just before it departs to prevent access by prior hosts; and it relies on text messages to connect with Rhiannon in each new body. The notion of a soul that embodies someone's truest identity is an ancient concept, but "A" is a uniquely modern spirit.

Every Day Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Every Day was photographed digitally by Rogier Stoffiers (Lakeview Terrace), on the Arri Alexa Mini, if IMDb is to believed. Warner's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray reflects the usual virtues of digital capture, with superior sharpness and detail throughout, solid blacks and an absence of noise, aliasing or interference. The brightly cheerful palette helps to downplay the story's darker elements. Warner has given the film a superior encode with a relatively high bitrate of 29.99 Mbps.

Every Day Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Every Day's 5.1 sound mix, encoded in lossless DTS-HD MA, provides a nice sense of environmental ambiance to this dialogue-driven film. The track also provides depth and punch to the extensive collection of contemporary songs that is the film's principal score, supplemented with incidental music by Elliott Wheeler (The Great Gatsby).

Every Day Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most of the extras are brief and promotional. Note that no digital copy is included with this title.

• Love Is Love (1080p; 1.78:1; 1:13).



• Every Day People (1080p; 1.78:1; 2:03).



• An A by Any Other Name (1080p; 1.78:1; 2:12).



• Book to Film Adaptation (1080p; 1.78:1; 1:31).



• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 2.40:1; 20:16): Each one is introduced by a title card. Several are extensions of existing scenes.



• Introductory Trailers: At startup, the disc plays trailers for Tomb Raider, Ocean's 8, Ready Player One, Rampage, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies and The 15:17 to Paris.

Every Day Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Every Day is among the first releases by the newly reconstituted Orion Pictures, which is now owned by MGM. It's an unusual choice to help restart the label that brought us Amadeus, Dances with Wolves and The Silence of the Lambs, but the film is a decently crafted entertainment for a youthful audience. The Blu-ray is well-produced and recommended.