Review: 'Spontaneous' a Fun, Not So Explosive, Movie

While "Spontaneous" is certainly one of the more original (and better) teen movies to come out this year, it undoes its first 95 minutes with an ending that is literally the opposite of its title. Despite that, this is an amusing and weirdly suspenseful teen romance that is worth watching for the snappy dialogue and performance by its lead.

Based on the YA novel by Aaron Starmer, "Spontaneous" sees its audience through the rise of a high-school romance between the incredibly confident and feisty Mara (Katherine Langford, "13 Reasons Why") and quiet and genial Dylan (Charlie Plummer,"Words on Bathroom Walls"). It begins when the two are in class one day and the female student sitting in front of Mara spontaneously explodes.

With the students now on a medical lockdown and enduring not only medical testing but also criminal suspicion, it's not long before Mara and Dylan find each other.

The two "meet cute" when he sends her a "dick" pic via text, which just happens to be a picture of Richard Nixon. Both of these crazy teens have some terrific kick-ass banter and chemistry for days. But all the while, the spontaneous explosions of their fellow students keep happening, so the tests continue.

The professionals don't know much except the tragedy befalls members of the senior class, but other than that, they can't figure out what's going on. The students are given a variety of drug trials, but one after the other – and when you least expect it – BOOM.

This makes this otherwise delightful romantic comedy incredibly stressful because you are constantly on edge wondering who is going to burst into a spray of blood and guts – and when. Which weirdly works. Mara and Dylan are sort of a perfect match, so there isn't any conflict in their relationship except for the threat that one or the other (or both) will burst into a quadrillion tiny blood droplets when they least expect it.

Plummer is a charmer and not your usual hunky romantic lead, although this is the second teen romance this year that he's shined in. Langford is the find here. Sure, she was good as the troubled girl in the Netflix hit "13 Reasons Why," had a small role in "Knives Out," and just finished her first season of the Excalibur retelling, "Cursed." But here, she really creates a very defined character that, as the movie progresses, is put through the wringer. She's not just the one-liner girl. She goes through a lot by the time the film is over, and it's a credit to her that she manages all of the shifts her character is put through.

First time director Brian Duffield – who has written a few semi-popular scripts like Netflix's "The Babysitter" franchise and the Kristen Stewart vehicle "Underwater" – effortlessly juggles all of the crazy balls of this film... until the end when the movie just sort of peters out. It's a bummer because this could have gone down as a classic like "Heathers," but it doesn't stick the landing. There's a message in the end – which is spelled out for you – but it feels like the theme comes too late.

That said, it's still a totally fun ride up until that point, so it's almost forgivable. It just needed something a bit more spontaneous and surprising to make the film truly explode.

Spontaneous is available on DVD November 10