Midnight Sun
Open Road Films (II) | Release Date: March 23, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
38
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
7
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
67
UproxxVince ManciniMar 28, 2018
It’s still saccharine, overwrought, blandly acted, painfully earnest, and uber-dramatic, and constantly staring longingly at the night sky and bodies of water for some reason, but… teen romance is all of those things. It fits. Maybe the Sparks formula isn’t so bad as long as Sparks himself isn’t involved. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireMar 23, 2018
Both actors are gorgeous, of course, which heightens the romantic fantasy of it all, but there's also a naturalism to them that's appealing. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckMar 22, 2018
Midnight Sun does an effective job of tugging at vulnerable teenage hearts, while managing to provide a few laughs along the way. None of the film rings remotely true, especially the cornball conclusion, but the two young leads are so darn attractive and appealing that one can't help being caught up in their characters' poignant romance. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChroniclePeter HartlaubMar 23, 2018
Once the believability drops, the seams start to show, whether it’s some extras who seem aware of the camera, bad edits, comic-timing misfires or songs written for Thorne that aren’t quite as good as everyone onscreen says they are. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMar 23, 2018
Midnight Sun is cheesy and implausible and manipulative, but it did chip away at my cynicism through the sheer force of its corny and sincere heart. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreMar 22, 2018
If you’re still a dewy-eyed teen fresh out of going “Awwwww” at the out-of-date coming-out romance “Love, Simon,” there’s nothing wrong with stuffing a few tissues in your pocket and bracing for, if not a good cry, at least the sniffle or two Midnight Sun promises. Read full review
42
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyMar 23, 2018
The authentic Sparks movies at least tend to be howlers, with shamelessly overcomplicated narratives and risible twists. Midnight Sun, on the other hand, is straightforward and trite. Read full review
40
Time OutStaff (Not credited)Mar 23, 2018
Leads Thorne and Schwarzenegger are mildly charming in a TV-soap way, but it’s all so desperately clean and savoury (even her XP is photogenic – unlike in reality). Read full review
40
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeMar 22, 2018
Mawkish, bland and banal, this dreary love story — and it’s no “Love Story” — seems to think it can throw together dying girl and handsome prince, and that’s all there is to it. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshMar 23, 2018
Despite the ever-present layer of cheesiness, every now and again, some of those emotions are just big enough to land a somewhat effective blow right to the heart. Read full review
30
The New York TimesTeo BugbeeMar 23, 2018
Under the limp direction of Scott Speer, Midnight Sun suffocates its sentimental script, portraying passion without wonder, sacrifice without ecstasy. Read full review
30
VarietyPeter DebrugeMar 22, 2018
The trouble isn’t just that Midnight Sun cherry-picks the most poetic elements of a real-world disease to serve its transparently manipulative ends, but that it offers audiences such an unrealistic portrait of romance in the process. Read full review
25
Slant MagazineDerek SmithMar 23, 2018
Throughout, the film's tone vacillates jarringly between corny, broad humor and unrestrained treacle. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleDanielle WhiteMar 28, 2018
Perhaps it’s just not-the-best-translation of "Taiyō no Uta," the title of the 2006 Japanese original, but I’m (unfortunately) not a language scholar, so I can’t be certain either way. What I can tell you is that this remake kind of sucks. Read full review
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