Happy Death Day (2017)

“Who takes their date to Subway?”  2 June 2020

Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) discovers she’s stuck in a time loop, reliving the same day over and over.  She wakes up in the same unfamiliar dorm room, makes the same walk across campus, has the same conversations and interactions, and is inevitably murdered.  To get on with the rest of her life, Tree will have to unmask her killer before she dies yet again.  

This is another of those movies that I sincerely doubt was intended for people in my demographic.  But it works for me.  I enjoy Happy Death Day more and more with each viewing.  I’ve now seen it three times and my rating keeps going up.  What makes it special?  I find the writing incredibly witty and clever.  Time loop movies and television shows have been done to death, but this one feels fresh to me. I appreciate the fact that the filmmakers didn’t shy away from the inevitable comparisons with Groundhog Day.  Instead, they were actually smart enough to include it in the movie.  And I love the blend of horror and comedy.  The combination is not always easy to get right and few movies excel at it the way Happy Death Day does.  

In addition to the writing, Happy Death Day is blessed with a top-notch cast.  Jessica Rothe is a real standout.  She (and everyone involved in the film) does an excellent job presenting her character’s transformation and growth throughout the film.  She goes from the typical sorority b%#@h you can find in most any slasher to a well-rounded young woman with a real heart.  It’s all nicely done.  Rothe is joined by Israel Broussard as Carter Davis - pretty much a doofus, but all-around good guy.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where their relationship is headed.

Finally, I called Happy Death Day a horror / comedy.  And while that’s true, the movie’s really more of a rom-com now that I think about it.  Sure, there are a few creepy moments and some real laugh-out-loud bits, but it’s more about Tree and Carter’s relationship than anything else.  And a cuter couple you won’t find (did I really just use the word “cuter”).

8/10