Review: 'The Map of Tiny Perfect Things' Finds Freshness in Another Time-Loop Repetition

Another riff on the time-loop genre, "The Map of Tiny Perfect Things" is an affecting look at letting go and the never-ending spin we put ourselves through when we can't.

Written by Lev Grossman, and based on his short story, this YA version of "Palm Springs" opens with Mark (Kyle Allen) skipping about his day as if he's lived it a hundred times before. And that's because he has. Every morning he wakes up as his mom slams her car door closed and drives away. He then goes downstairs to greet his dad (Josh Hamilton) and sister Emma (Cleo Fraser), and begins a day where he can predict everything that will happen, and has created his own quirky flow to adapt to it.

At first, his prime directive is to ask out a local girl he keeps seeing on the street and at the community pool (Anna Mikami). Here, he continually saves her from getting a beach ball thrown in her face and then tries to ask her out, but to no avail. But one day, out of nowhere, another girl shows up – someone he's never seen before – putting a halt to his usual routine. Obsessed with finding out who she is, Mark makes it his mission to figure out this girl's story and how she's entered the same time loop he's a part of.

Her name, he discovers, is Margaret ("Freaky" star Kathryn Newton), and she's a bit moodier than he is, but she's clearly aware they are both stuck in a preternatural situation. It takes her some time to warm up to him, but Mark's charm breaks her down and the two start spending a lot of time together. As they go about their do-over days, they also come up with a plan to map out the town they live in and find perfect moments that make them smile.

While each day is the same for everyone around them, for them it's just a continuation of their lives. With no understanding of how they got stuck in the loop, Mark has given in to his fate, and quite likes it. Margaret isn't as thrilled, and seems to have a mysterious place she needs to go every day, causing Mark to want to figure out what it is. This reveals a bigger mystery, but might also solve the reason they are stuck in the first place.

The reason "Map" is so engaging is because of its cast. Kathryn Newton has really made a name for herself in recent years in TV and film with "Freaky," "Big Little Lies," "Blockers," and "Paranormal Activity 4." She has a dynamic range, and easily pulls the audience on her side. Similarly, Kyle Allen exudes the charisma of a young Richard Gere and Heath Ledger, with a nod to Josh Hartnett. He's adorable and charming, while still giving doses of distracted puppy dog realness.

Aside from its wonderfully engaging cast, what "The Map of Tiny Perfect Things" does is side-step the trappings of a time-loop film by not overdoing the use of the receptive day trope. In movies like "Groundhog Day" (and, to an extent, "Happy Death Day") the repetition can get tiring. Here, like in Hulu's recent rom com "Palm Springs," the focus is on the characters, and not necessarily having to repeatedly show us how they go through the day over and over. We know it's another day without having to see the wake-up routine a hundred times. This opens the film up to explore deeper issues and have fun with the genre, without running the cliches of it into the ground.

Ultimately, "Map" goes in a serious direction, but not at the expense of what came before it. The script reveals the essence of the time loop and why the two of them got sucked into it. It's a film that asks you to appreciate the "tiny perfect things," but also takes them time to notice them more because of their potential effect on the grander scheme of your life. It's not necessarily about taking these little things for granted, it's about making them the guiding aspects of our journey through life.

"The Map of Tiny Perfect Things" premieres on Amazon Prime February 12th.