'This Is The Year' Review: Selena Gomez and David Henrie's coming-of-age film is a cheese-fest honoring the '80s
Announced as the feel-good movie of a year that has piled one storm after the other, David Henrie and Selena Gomez's reunion project 'This is the Year' had managed to cheer up more than just fans of the former Disney siblings. With Henrie helming the project and multitasking as director and star both, this was Gomez's second big production after the highly controversial Netflix series '13 Reasons Why'. Needless to say, expectations were high and the thrill for the reunion was unmatched after Henrie had teased what a classic throwback to all '80s romcoms his new movie would be. He wasn't wrong. The sense of homage is real and the throwbacks are many – perhaps too many – in 'This is the Year', almost pushing it to topple over the edge into a territory of all things corny and cheesy.
For most 90s and early 2000s kids who grew up watching Disney channel classics, this movie might kick in all the nostalgia one can imagine. Not much has changed in the teenage life from what we saw back in 'High School Musical'. Regular kid Josh (Henrie's brother, Lorenzo James Henrie) has been admitted with Zoey (Alyssa Jirrels) all through the year. As graduation gets closer, the pressure to ask Alyssa out becomes real, but here are the signature catches: she is the most popular girl in school, used to be friends with Josh but grew apart over the years, and has a dashing hot boyfriend now. So Josh does what most lovesick puppies his age would do and decides to take Zoey to a music festival as the grand romantic gesture professing his love for her.
Predictable and an easy ride, there's gen-z humor sprinkled over the plot that borrows most of its elements from the '80s. Cliched and a little done and dusted, the 97-minute ride follows the same patterns and tropes that one would expect in a story almost too similar to John Green's 'Paper Towns'. Josh's friends, Molly (Vanessa Marano), Donnie (Bug Hall), and Mikey (Jake Short) all hop aboard the road trip where he tries to woo his lady love, eventually learning along the way that most of their interests are the same. But the journey also has some interesting tropes that love and high school relationships have evolved into these days, offering that touching yet empowering essence to the plot.
The friendship between Jirrels' Alyssa and Marano's Molly is too pure. There's never tension surrounding jealousy or the type, almost as if a slightly tamer version of the slapstick sex comedy 'Eurotrip'. Unlike most '80s movies where the hero would usually go for the dorky tomboyish best friend of the opposite sex, than the popular girl of his dreams, Josh sticks to the girl he pines for. Molly's character might be a cliche, but Josh's dynamics with either of the two girls isn't so. Alyssa as the popular girl is more cool and chic than the bitchy, mean type. Gone are the days of Regina George, it's the Cady Heron era and there's no plastic interference going on. It's sweet, gives hope, and sends a positive message if one can overlook the very, very typical plot.
Henrie's direction has a firm grasp of what his young fans want. As a debut venture, it is definitely far better than some of the recent teen dramas that have absolutely pulverized what it means to have healthy relationships at such a tender age. Henrie and Gomez pay close attention to the message the film sends out to its audience who inevitably will be very impressionable, and the cast is just about as wholesome as the idea of a boy serenading his dream girl blasting a boombox under her window is going to be. But that was fitting for a different era. The pace of the film, although interesting to follow, might not quite match up to all the expectations, but hey, at least it's not the 'Kissing Booth' or 'Sierra Burgess Is a Loser'.
'This is the Year' is now available to rent or buy on demand.