Jaden Smith marches to his own beat
Romantic comedies about terminal illness usually go one of two ways. While most draw tears by leaning into soppy romance territory, the best ones look to refresh the format with unique characters or a winning joke. From director Mitja Okorn, Life in a Year falls somewhere in the middle, but just about coasts by on the charm of its lead character.
We follow Daryn (Jaden Smith), an impressive Harvard prospect who has his whole life set ahead of him. However, when he meets free-spirited Isabelle (Cara Delevigne) he might realise that - shock! - there is more to life than doing what is expected of him by his domineering dad (Cuba Gooding Jr). Sadly, this knowledge comes at a price, as Isabelle reveals that she only has 1 year left to live with cancer. Making use of his gift for planning, he puts together an action plan for Isabelle to live her entire life in a year.
So, Life in a Year is not exactly original. Written by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, it is another film about teenagers that doesn’t really have a grasp of how teenagers speak, like Isabelle referring to Daryn as ‘square’ throughout the movie. The film ticks a lot of familiar teen comedy boxes, like Daryn’s two ‘comic relief’, best friends, and a rushed meet-cute where Daryn falls quickly and inexplicably in love with the mysterious Isabelle. There’s also a weak rap career subplot that seems to exist purely to let Smith flex his (admittedly good) rapping skills.
But, while the film doesn’t break as much ground as say, Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl, it does manage to be fun and at times quite moving. The takeaway message about seizing the life you choose for yourself may not be new, but it’s delivered with warmth and a cast that make you care regardless. Delevigne is lumbered with a slightly more developed version of her manic pixie dream girl in Paper Towns, but she handles the difficult later scenes capably, and grows into the film alongside her chemistry with Smith.
Carrying the film almost entirely on his shoulders, Smith’s performance is the main saving grace. He throws himself into the material, no matter how cliched or corny - a spontaneous rap at an ice cream shop is a good test of your cringe-o-metre. Because of his charismatic and believable performance (there is one devastating hospital sequence that comes to mind), you buy into his character’s plight and the heart-warming story at the film’s heart.
Jaden Smith’s committed performance is the highlight of this sweet but unoriginal romantic comedy.
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