Happy Death Day (Film Review)

2017 Blumhouse Productions/Universal Pictures
Directed by: Christopher B. Landon; Written by: Scott Lobdell
Starring: Jessica Rothe and Israel Broussard; MPAA Rating: PG-13
Nicsperiment Score: 8/10

On the surface, Happy Death Day doesn't seem worthwhile--just another twist on Bill Murray's Groundhog Day. However, to quite intentionally make a horror movie pun: it's all in the execution.
Jessica Rothe stars as a really lousy human being using college as an opportunity to drunkenly bounce between any guy within reach, slack through her snobby sorority, and insult anyone who has the misfortune of crossing her path. She's sleeping with her professor, dodging past paramours, and on the day the film takes place, waking up in the dorm bed of a complete stranger, who, worst of all, seems like a nice guy.
The list of folks who'd like to kill her is likely longer than she has the attention span to read--and kill her someone does...again...and again...and again.
Every morning, she finds herself waking in the same dorm bed, on the same calendar date--her birthday--having just been freshly murdered. After getting over the initial shock of living the same day over and over again, she's determined to find her murderer...and maybe become just a bit better of a human being.
This is a star-making turn for Rothe, a natural comedienne. Her cadences and pronunciations of insults are hilarious, and while director, Christopher B. Landon, does a fine job making things scary when they need to be, he's also wise enough to let Rothe Daffy Duck her way through each act of violence perpetrated against her.
The script from Scott Lobdell is sharp and funny, morphing effortlessly through phases of horror and comedy, to whodunnit. Perhaps most refreshingly, when the film reaches the moments where Rothe's semi-heroine begins to focus on self-improvement, nothing ever feels sentimental or schmaltzy.
My thirteen year-old nephew recommended I watch Happy Death Day. That kid has good taste. This is the most fun I've had watching a movie in a while.