A hypochondriac boy meets a terminally ill girl through therapy meetings. The two strike up a friendship and attempt to cross off everything on the girl’s bucket list.
By reading the summarized synopsis of the film, a thought of “Oh, I’ve seen plenty of films like this before. I know how these end.” Part of that thought is right, but I was also surprised that the same thought that crossed my mind wasn’t entirely accurate.
“The two strike up a friendship and attempt to cross everything off the girl’s bucket list.”
Where I was wrong is with the romantic part of the drama. Calvin (Asa Butterfield) is an airport baggage handler whose hypochondria gets in the way of his everyday life. He goes to therapy sessions meant for people dealing with various serious health issues, and that’s where he meets Skye (Maisie Williams). Skye actually does have a terminal illness, but the illness doesn’t stop her from being a quirky girl that’s easy to get along with. Skye tells Calvin about her bucket list that she tends to complete before (and if) the illness gets the best of her. While Calvin helps Skye cross things off of her bucket list that is where I begin to think that the two will fall for each other and it will be just like other romantic dramas I’ve seen. Well, that assumption is not entirely correct.
Calvin has the hots for a flight attendant named Izzy (Nina Dobrev), who he comes across from time-to-time at the airport. Once Skye finds out about Calvin’s crush, she returns the favor and tries to set up Calvin with Izzy. During their time of crossing off Skye’s bucket list and Skye attempting to play Cupid with Calvin and Izzy, Calvin and Skye form a special bond. This bond is what is the biggest drive of the story, but there is a lot more that adds to the drama and emotion of the film. For me, that emotion is not felt until after an hour into the film, but the emotion is most certainly there.
