YA page to screen efforts have a mixed track record, to say the least. But there is one, at least on paper, that screams “make it a movie” and that is 2016’s The Sun Is Also a Star by author Nicola Yoon. It was a bestseller, a National Book Award Finalist, Amazon’s Best Book of 2016 in YA and finished out the year scoring a spot on the top 10 books of the past 365 in Entertainment Weekly. The key to whether this flick would work lies completely in the casting of the two leads.
Yara Shahidi (Black-ish and Grown-ish) is Natasha and Charles Melton (Riverdale, American Horror Story) is Daniel and the duo inhabit their roles in the most brilliantly approachable ways. See, if audiences are going to spend an entire day (on screen, that is) with a pair of folks that have us wondering “will they or won’t they” and we couldn’t cheer more for them to “will they,” the two at the heart of that cinematic courtship must pop off the screen in the most endearingly emotional ways that exudes charm, passion, love, and triumph in pulling our heartstrings in the most adoringly awesome ways. Shahidi and Melton do that in droves.
Now that The Sun is Also a Star is out on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download formats, hopefully a wider audience will discover their palpable screen chemistry that did in theaters. It is a joyous ride and one that seems to zip by in the blink of an eye. Pulling off romance on the big screen seems to be a difficult endeavor of late. Romance movies used to be produced quite frequently and that is not the case as much anymore. Perhaps there is a public that has become romantically cynical and therefore won’t open their hearts to the possibility of love on the silver screen? It could be as simple as Hollywood studios aren’t green lighting mid-level budget flicks like they used to. Whatever the reason, when one arrives that is worth celebrating, like The Sun is Also a Star, it needs to be heralded and The Movie Mensch could not cheer for Yoon’s page to screen effort more.
Simply put, it will make you fall in love with falling in love.
The crux of the story is that Natasha is a bit jaded towards that elusive emotional element called love and doesn’t believe that it exists in earnest. One can certainly guess her thoughts on the idea of love at first sight. On the other end of the spectrum is Daniel. He firmly believes in all of the above and makes a bet with Natasha that he can get her to fall in love with him by the end of this fateful day. No spoilers here, not even to reveal what the bet’s wagers are … let’s just say it is magical to watch these two actors in these two roles try to prove the other wrong, all while being open to the idea in the first place.
Let’s back up a bit. How these two even found themselves on this path is, to some, a salute to fate and to others, something that could be chalked up randomness.
College student Daniel meets Natasha on the streets of New York City. The sparks… well, they’re pretty immediate. Sadly, Natasha, who is Jamaican born, is hours away from being deported (along with her family) and to say she is jaded towards anything in the world at that moment is an understatement. Meanwhile, Daniel believes that it is fate that has brought them together and if it takes all day (which clearly it will take), he seeks to prove to her that the universe can push two people together who find love and more importantly, in the end – love is all that matters and it can save us all.
Sounds like a pretty fascinating premise for a movie that occurs during one day. It is and in the hands of the leads (and John Leguizamo, too!), it is a road taken that is pure joy.
Ry Russo-Young (the mesmerizing Before I Fall) directed the flick, from a screenplay by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip) and the two joining forces on this particular project is like the perfect storm of creative awesomeness. They have a firm command of what it is that makes the YA novel so popular and most importantly, so resonant.
On the DVD release of the film, there is but one featurette, Love is a Universe. It works its magic, as the film does too, by focusing on the two leads and the process it took to cast them, why they work so well together, and how making the movie was a true creative effort that required the best from all involved. The viewer also has the pleasure of delving deeper into the director’s vision and how it was brought to life and generally paints a picture of a movie whose passion for fate also is fitting given how everyone involved in the page-to-screen effort seemed fated to be here as well.
Sure, there could have been more featurettes—but this is one of those rare cases in home video that the film truly does not need it. The film speaks for itself and what we need to know about the making of the flick is impeccably laid out in the one featurette that is included.
For fans of the romance genre, whether straight up romance or a YA romance, this is one to own. A solid romantic effort is so rare, this will easily be a story you will want to revisit time and time again over the years.
Film Grade: B+
Bonus Features: B