Pomegranate Rating: 10/10

“Not Okay,” a satirical comedy starring Zoey Deutch, Dylan O’Brien, and Mia Isaac, premiered on July 29th. You might know it from TikTok, where the movie’s official TikTok account went viral. After seeing it so often online, I knew I had to watch it, and I was not expecting the movie I watched. Here’s every reason why “Not Okay” is the movie of the summer:

“Not Okay” stars Zoey Deutch as Danni Sanders, a wanna-be social media influencer, and she learns how far she’s willing to go to make her dreams come true. Despite focusing on very serious topics, Not Okay is hilarious with all of its characters getting to show off their comedic talents. The main character, Danni, will have you laughing at her while the movie is also carried by Dylan O’Brien, playing Colin, and Nadia Alexander, playing Harper.

It’s a movie that is entertaining and fun with plenty of comedic relief. “Not Okay” being a comedy is not what makes it the movie of the summer. The main character in the film is not okay, and the movie is amazing because of that.

As previously stated, this movie is all about Danni and her many adventures in trying to become internet famous. And this is a movie, so of course, she succeeds! But the bigger question is, how? By faking being a victim of a mass bombing that killed and traumatized thousands of people.

It’s the perfect setup for all the trouble the characters get into later. It starts with Danni, who is at home faking being in France to her social media followers. Applying her photoshop skills and taking a few clever pictures, everyone thinks she’s in Paris. The accuracy of this all speaks to how amazing “Not Okay” is. Faking the perfect life for social media is something millions of people do every day, but not all of them get caught.

Several days into this trick, and on a day when Danni is supposedly in Paris, there are bombings at several locations in Paris; including the Arc de Triomphe, where Danni is assumed to be at. When she wakes up to find dozens of people calling and texting her about the bombing, she sees an opportunity. An opportunity for the one thing she’s been seeking, fame. From then on “Not Okay” focuses on Danni’s pursuits to use the bombings as a way to increase her social media following and become famous.

“Not Okay” shows how far people will go to be famous, including taking advantage of a real school shooting survivor, lying to millions of people, and manipulating others’ feelings. It’s one of few current-day movies that actually succeed in having a message, one that is very relevant. It’s about social media, narcissism, and just how cruel and bitter people can be.

Because Danni Sanders is a narcissist, and she wants revenge on people that she perceives as enemies. There are no redeeming qualities to our main character as she cheats and lies her way through life for a goal that she thinks she deserves and then takes advantage of those who do deserve it. You can find some good in the movie as Danni is finally exposed as a liar and everyone turns on her. It is an ending we have seen plenty of times in real life, from Tania Head to influencer Je T’aime.

Of course, after the big lead-up and twist, movies can go a little downhill with their ending. But “Not Okay’s” ending is a perfect conclusion to the movie. After months of being harassed online and in real life, Danni decides she has to make amends. But just as she’s about to apologize to the person she hurt most, she backs out and leaves- never addressing the hurt and pain she caused others.

Some might find this an unsatisfactory ending, but it only exemplifies the entire plot of the movie. Danni is an egotistical wannabe star who doesn’t care about the people she has hurt. She only cares about herself, and that is perfectly shown at the ending of “Not Okay.”

So for all these reasons, funny characters, a good plot, and a great ending, Not Okay is the movie of the summer. It was a great watch that everyone should be able to take away a good lesson from. Currently streaming on Hulu, “Not Okay” was a 10/10 pomegranate seeds and is truly the movie of the summer.