Movie Review: ‘Addy Daddy’ – A Love Story with a Sci-Fi Twist That Feels Unnecessary

Patrick VanZandt delivers a cleverly written and directed romantic drama in ‘Addy Daddy‘, a film that, on the surface, appears to be a straightforward love story but gradually layers in unexplainable sci-fi elements. While the film’s ambition is commendable, its execution ultimately leaves more questions than answers.

The story follows Lucas (played by Jared Trevino), a college senior who meets Addison (played by Lexi Simonsen) at a house party. She’s sweet but anxious, and despite some initial hesitation, the two form a natural, undeniable connection. For a moment, their love seems like the perfect escape from their individual struggles. Until Lucas‘ snobbishly overprotective parents come into play. They immediately disapprove of Addison, seeing her as a bad influence. As Lucas struggles to balance his love for Addison with the pressure from his parents, his grasp on reality begins to blur.

The film’s opening is not particularly clear, nor does it immediately set the tone for what’s to come. However, once Lucas meets Addison, it starts to take the shape of a typical romance. Their connection is palpable, feeling organic and genuine, thanks to the strong performances of the two leads. Jared Trevino portrays Lucas with a subtle vulnerability, calm on the outside but clearly haunted by his thoughts and past trauma. When he meets Addison, a lighter, more carefree side of him emerges, making his transformation feel authentic.

Lexi Simonsen also delivers an impressive performance as Addison, initially portraying her as a guarded loner hesitant to let anyone in. As she falls for Lucas, her character becomes warmer and more open, making their romance all the more believable.

However, their relationship takes a dramatic turn when Lucas introduces Addison to his parents. The tension between them is immediate. His parents are controlling, dismissive, and outright judgmental. They make it clear that they are against his relationship because Addison smokes weed and has a wild sense of humour that they find offensive.

This is where the story delves into Lucas‘ trauma. His father is emotionally abusive and hyper-controlling. Together with his mother, they constantly monitor his messages and interactions with Addison. Under their influence, Lucas begins to pull away, creating cracks in what seemed like a steadily growing strong bond between the young couple.

Around the one-hour mark, the film’s tone starts to shift subtly. What initially seemed like a romantic drama begins revealing its sci-fi themes, but not in an obvious or easy-to-digest way. You are not sure what it could be about but after a few more minutes into the film you start to see traces that play around the concepts of parallel realities, or an altered perception of time. As the film builds to its climax, these ideas become more apparent, but the execution lacks clarity.

This is where the film starts to falter. The second half introduces complications that feel more like an attempt to intellectualize the couple’s struggles rather than enhance the emotional weight of the story. Almost as though to give some scientific meaning to why the relationship failed. While the sci-fi elements are an intriguing addition, they ultimately take away from the film rather than elevate it. What could have been a deeply emotional and thought-provoking love story becomes needlessly convoluted.

The narrative starts to show what seems like a parallel reality where Lucas and Addison seemingly meet and start their relationship all over again. It’s a confusing twist that doesn’t feel fully earned. Even if you are paying close attention, the film’s shifting realities don’t land as effectively as they should.

Eventually, the film’s 118-minute runtime feels excessive, especially as the narrative drags in the latter half. Fortunately, the visual and sound design keeps things relatively simple. Some stylistic editing choices, like inserting glitch-like streaks into certain segments, attempt to emphasize the sci-fi elements, but they come off as unnecessary.

I will score this film 5/10. By the time the film ends, you’re left wondering whether it would have been a stronger piece without the sci-fi complications.

At its core, ‘Addy Daddy‘ through the story of Lucas and Addison does a decent job of exploring the complexities of finding love and how trauma and personal emotional baggage can impact relationships.

But for everything it tries to be, it could have simply embraced being what it was at its best, which is a compelling love story.