Conflicted

Rating: 6/10 (11 April 2020)

I'm going to be honest here. From what i heard of the film and it's reception, i walked in kinda expecting a pretty dumb bad film. Really the only positive endorsment i found for the film (not counting the ones in here) were Roger Ebert's 2 and a half stars out of 4 review, which is basically a 5 or 6 out of 10 here, and my sister who adores the film. It really does seem like it's one of those "critics vs audience" situations, where critics hate it, but audiences love it or at least enjoy it overall.
I personally find myself to be somewhere in the middle. i enjoyed it and had fun while watching it, but i do have some issues with the film. Mainly i felt a lot of plot points and scenes felt very chessy and kind of ridiculous. Like a melodrama for teens. For instance: a lot of the characters can feel very cartoonish, mainly Tommy, who appears to only have 2 extreme personalities of a horrible sociopath or a nice and very caring friend. Not that these kinds of behaviour are unexplained or come at of nowhere, but i thought he was very one note. And a lot of the characters also feel the same way. They either are their worst version of themselves or the best ones, and i would have loved if there was more variety. And also i really thought the ending was kind of weak, since while i do like the idea of Evan and Kayleigh never meeting eachother being the ultimate solution, the idea just came out of nowhere and felt like a cheap way to end it. Maybe if Evan would have reflected more on it, it would have worked better.
But i also understand that that's not what the film is trying to explore. It is mostly about exploring the idea of (duh) the butterfly effect, how simple changes can drastically change how your life and others progress. And the film is certainly very ambitious in it's intent, which is why i considered to be a fun and entertaining watch. It's definitely not a forgettable film, even if you dislike it. Both the direction and editing makes the film fast paced and exciting, even if i personally would rather have a more tamed and in depth look at the story. But it sure gives off the anxiety and chaos it's trying to achieve. And the script at the very least tries to connect all the film's plot points, even if it sometimes confusing.
Anyway. i'd be willing to watch it a second time so that i have a more thought out opinion.