Review: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between (2022)

In new teen romantic drama, Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between, it’s Halloween and high school students Aidan and Clare meet at a party. They talk, get to know each other, and soon find themselves sharing a kiss, and entering into a relationship.

But this relationship has a very specific clause: It can only last for ten months. Aidan and Clare are both at crossroads in life, with college on the horizon, so to save themselves from future heartache, they make a deal to only date each other for a limited amount of time, before breaking up and going their separate ways.

They both agree that this will be something they can manage well and it will be the best way to approach a relationship. They get all of the benefits of seeing each other for a year (first date, first dance, etc) without worrying about where it will all lead.

Over the months that follow, the couple commit to their pact and share many important moments together, developing a strong relationship along the way. And, as the expiration date of their relationship looms large, Aidan and Clare agree to stick to their plan and end things on a high.

But while on their last date, they both come to realise that ending the relationship would be a mistake. They have grown considerably over the past ten months and have fallen in love with each other.

Can they find the words to tell each other how they feel before they separate and head off to college or will this truly be a last hurrah with no regrets? That is something that Aidan and Clare will have to figure out, but they need to do it quick, as the clock is ticking.  

Directed by Michael Lewen, and based on a novel of the same name by Jennifer E. Smith, Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between stars Jordan Fisher and Talia Ryder. The film is available to stream on Netflix from today, and is a likeable teen picture which I expect many young audiences will warm to.

The premise of the movie is fairly straight-forward, yet it is a rather intriguing one. The film looks at the idea of balancing the head and the heart, at a crucial time in a young person’s life, to try and forge the perfect route down love lane.

But those of us with a few miles on the clock will know that navigating romance and relationships is a very tricky thing. Best laid plans don’t always work out, partnerships dissolve, and there is no fool-proof way to experience love.

So, it is interesting to watch a movie in which the two lead characters try their best to avoid heartache, even though it is clearly inevitable. Time limit or no time limit, once you enter into a relationship everything changes irrespective of your plans, and this is something which Aidan and Clare soon discover.

The film takes their journey, opens it up to the audience and showcases what it feels like to be in love. It makes things clear there is no plan, no guide, or map that can shield a person from harm, and things will be bumpy and uncomfortable from time-to-time.

But the film does all this without being overly negative, mean-spirited, or depressing. Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between is a journey of hope and optimism, and one which shows that all good things don’t necessarily have to come to an end.

Helping this movie out is a superb soundtrack, featuring an array of tunes which feel all very hip and contemporary. With me being a middle-aged ol’ fart, who stopped paying attention to music back in the ‘00s, I can’t tell you who any of the songs are by, but they do work very well in the movie and fit the tone of the picture perfectly.

The cast of Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between are also very good and slot into the story just right. There is a believability in the central relationship, with actors Jordan Fisher and Talia Ryder proving to be suitable leads, and this makes a heck of a difference.

Chuck in some solid direction, a good approach to the material, and a running time that won’t test your patience, and Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between is a decent little film. While I don’t believe it will be for everyone, I do think its target audience (teens and those in their early twenties) will connect with the material instantly and find much to enjoy.  

There is a phrase used in the movie by Clare, which is “easy breezy” and this phrase perfectly sums up Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between. This movie is very easy to watch, and incredibly breezy too, and that means you can pop this film on without any problems at all, and come away having had a fine time with it.