JJ+E is a sweet, non-cloying, earnest, non-cutesy, mostly non-melodramatic down-to-earth teen romance set in Sweden. He’s from the wrong side of the tracks (or bay, to be specific) and she’s a rich girl. He saves her sister after a cliff-diving accident… and they wind up in the same acting class. They slowly get to like each other and then more. Dad isn’t too happy.

Up until the final fifteen minutes, this was a genuine, earnest film that made me smile and say “awww” when they kissed. But it wasn’t cutesy and didn’t follow the usual patterns of a teen romance. Other than, you know, being from the wrong side of the tracks premise.

The final fifteen minutes does feel like they realized they had to add some conflict into this otherwise mellow movie. At first, my heart dropped since it seemed like it was going in a predictable way… but they managed to pull off something slightly better than I expected. So kudos on them, even if a little forced.

Not gonna change the world, but a heartfelt and believably non-cutesy teen romance.

Score: 82