Virgin State of Mind

If you make a romantic comedy set in high school, I will watch it. And unless it's either offensive or sleep-inducing, I will almost certainly like it. Which is to say, you should not be surprised when I tell you that I really liked The First Time.

This movie was practically tailor-made to appeal to me. Cute, romantic boy played by the dreamy Dylan O'Brien meets adorable, hyper-verbose girl played by Britt Robertson with whom he has instant and amazing chemistry. They do cute things, they are cute together, a metric fucking ton of cuteness ensues. They fall in love. We all go home wishing for a Dylan O'Brien of our very own.

The movie begins on Friday night when Dave (O'Brien) and Aubrey (Robertson) meet at a party. He's harboring a hopeless crush on a girl who just wants to be his friend and she's dating an enormous douchenozel. They strike up an instant, flirty friendship that turns into dating which leads to sex all in the course of a single weekend.

It's been a while since I was a teenager but I don't think anyone ever really forgets what being a teenager felt like. How every little thing seemed a million times better and worse than it ever did before or will again. How you can not know a person one minute and feel desperately in love with them the next. How having sex for the first time can seem like a really good idea when your parents aren't home and he's kissing your neck but a huge mistake when it's weird and fast and maybe a little embarrassing.

What the movie does really well is convey this teenage awkwardness while still being sweet and funny. There were moments of perfectly accurate teenage awfulness that caused me to cringe and want to die but in a good, almost nostalgic way. And there were moments that were movie-perfect where the boy says just the right thing at just the right time the way boys never really do because life isn't like the movies. Plus a likable girl, a very cute boy, and Lamarcus Tinker. What more could you possibly want in a movie?

I would see this movie again in a minute. In fact, I think I'll go see this movie again tonight. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys romantic comedies, movies set in high school, cute boys, charming relationships, and happy endings.

And seriously guys, all of Dylan O'Brien's shirts are directly from heaven.