The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021)
Directed by Ian Samuels
Two teenagers trapped in an endless time loop set out to find all the tiny things that make that one day perfect.
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23 films that influenced The Map of Tiny Perfect Things
What critics say influenced The Map of Tiny Perfect Things
This terrific teenage take on Groundhog Day , adapted by Lev Grossman from his own short story, makes no bones about its inspiration, namechecking the 1993 comedy classic from the outset.
While the film, like the recent “Palm Springs,” is, to an extent, a new version of “Groundhog Day,” its familiar premise plays out with snap and charm, thanks to fresh themes and appealing lead characters.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: The obvious comparisons here are Groundhog Day and Palm Springs , but The Map of Tiny Perfect Things does have a little bit of its own flavor.
Another year, another “Groundhog Day” rip-off.
As I possess absolutely no knowledge of the short story, I saw The Map of Tiny Perfect Things presented as a fairly wholesome and optimistic YA romance which utilizes the same temporal anomaly trope used in films Groundhog Day (1993), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), and Palm Springs (2020).
Time-loop movies continue to be all the rage, and while Groundhog Day (1993) remains the champ with Edge of Tomorrow (2014) holding onto second the rest of the field is wide open.
It’s all formulaic from point A to B. Even with the movie’s constant pop-culture references ranging from Groundhog Day (yes, they even mentioned the title of the film) to Star Wars, Time Bandits and even Pokémon Detective Pikachu (which happens to star Kathryn Netwon as well), The Map of Tiny Perfect Things is pretty much a forgettable one that I wish I could get out of the time loop (the movie) fast.
(She’s never seen 1981’s Time Bandits !) Allen and Newton make for charismatic guides in The Map of Tiny Perfect Things , and both convince in their tenuous balance between curiosity and ennui as they show genuine joy at life’s smaller moments while still feeling lost in the big picture.
His biggest concern is showing the girl he likes his favorite movie ( Time Bandits , for those who are interested) and trying out new haircuts.
If you like this, try: “Time Bandits” (it is as great as Mark says it is), and other time-loop classics like “Groundhog Day,” “The Edge of Tomorrow,” and “Palm Springs.”
Except “Perfect Things” doesn’t have the benefit of Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti’s infectious charm (or comedic timing), but it has Kathryn Newton and Kyle Allen doing the best with Lev Grossman formulaic screenplay that recycles countless time travel loopholes and throws “Edge of Tomorrow” references around because it’s woke enough to understand the joke.
As I possess absolutely no knowledge of the short story, I saw The Map of Tiny Perfect Things presented as a fairly wholesome and optimistic YA romance which utilizes the same temporal anomaly trope used in films Groundhog Day (1993), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), and Palm Springs (2020).
Time-loop movies continue to be all the rage, and while Groundhog Day (1993) remains the champ with Edge of Tomorrow (2014) holding onto second the rest of the field is wide open.
The story transpires in an unnamed American town, where high-schooler Mark (Kyle Allen), an easygoing aspiring artist, is trapped, like “in that movie with Bill Murray” (Grossman’s screenplay acknowledges the “Groundhog Day” factor; “Edge of Tomorrow” is mentioned as well), in a loop in which he keeps living through the same day, again and again.
From “Groundhog Day” to “Happy Death Day,” “Edge of Tomorrow” to “Palm Springs,” our loop of time-loop movies keeps repeating, with each commenting on the nature of time and existence.
Sure, “Groundhog Day,” “Edge of Tomorrow,” “Happy Death Day,” “Palm Springs” and other films that express similar existential quandaries are available to this savvy audience.
That earlier Bill Murray hit gets multiple references as Mark (Kyle Allen, also in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming “West Side Story” remake) goes through a rewinded day over and over until Margot (Kathryn Newton, “Big Little Lies”) drops in on his routine.
The camera alongside with him as he slides through the neighborhood with the dexterity of a dancer in “La La Land” (not for nothing is the spindly actor next set to appear in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story”).
Which is befitting of someone who’s about to be seen dancing through gangland warfare in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story .
Both of them — but especially Allen (who is set to appear in the upcoming West Side Story remake) — bring a charisma to their friendship that makes it feel authentic.
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Allen is a wonderful counterpart for her; he evokes a Boogie Nights -era Mark Wahlberg, with that open, naive face and gentle way about him.
The movie plays like a hybrid of several recent variations: Like 2017’s drama “Before I Fall,” it’s a slick YA adaptation (sci-fi writer Lev Grossman wrote the screenplay off his short), it has some tonal similarities to the horror-comedy “Happy Death Day,” released that same year.
From “Groundhog Day” to “Happy Death Day,” “Edge of Tomorrow” to “Palm Springs,” our loop of time-loop movies keeps repeating, with each commenting on the nature of time and existence.
Sure, “Groundhog Day,” “Edge of Tomorrow,” “Happy Death Day,” “Palm Springs” and other films that express similar existential quandaries are available to this savvy audience.
Happy Death Day , Happy Death Day 2U , Palm Springs , See You Yesterday , Before I Fall , and now The Map of Tiny Perfect Things .
In the meantime, we’ve gotten a number of movies in which a character repeats a single day, like “Groundhog Day,” “Edge Of Tomorrow,” “Before I Fall,” and “Happy Death Day.”
Add horror and mystery to it and you get The Final Girls , Happy Death Day , and Russian Doll .
Granted, Margaret isn’t Kirsten Dunst in Elizabethtown or Natalie Portman in Garden State .
Granted, Margaret isn’t Kirsten Dunst in Elizabethtown or Natalie Portman in Garden State .
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Neither Rom Nor Com: What’s strange about this film is that it very much feels like the type of thing we might’ve gotten in 2014 or 2015, when the likes of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Fault in Our Stars were in their hayday, and you couldn’t go five minutes without hearing about another quirky YA-movie about a doomed teen romance.
In the coming-of-age camp, I love Lady Bird , The Fault in Our Stars , and Perks of Being a Wallflower .
Unfortunately for The Map of Tiny Perfect Things , a Y.A. drama streaming on Amazon Prime, it’s now the Volcano of time loop romances (the superior Palm Springs is the Dante’s Peak , of course).
Volcano and Dante’s Peak .