Review: 'The Map of Tiny Perfect Things' adapts 'Groundhog Day' into a tender YA romance

The beauty of the “Groundhog Day” premise, repeating the same day over and over, is how malleable it is — translatable as romantic comedy (“Palm Springs”), action movie (“Edge of Tomorrow”), slasher flick (“Happy Death Day”) and, in the sometimes charming “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things,” existential young-adult romantic drama.

Mark (Kyle Allen) is a high-school student has been stuck in a “Groundhog Day”-like time loop for awhile now — long enough that he can smoothly ride his bike through town, grab the latte someone left on the roof of their car, drink it, and toss the empty cup in the back of a passing garbage truck. He’s obviously done this before, just as he has rescued a young woman (Anna Mikami) from falling in the pool and then finagled a date with her.

One day, though, another young woman steps through Mark’s perfectly choreographed pool scene, as if she’s seen it before. It turns out she has. Margaret (Kathryn Newton) is also caught in the same time loop, waking up every morning to the same day and, at midnight, rewinding the tape and starting over.

Mark and Margaret decide to join forces, to see if they can locate all the “tiny perfect” moments in this particular day, thinking that if they find them all, they will unlock some kind of secret and end the loop. Along the way, feelings of love grow between the teens — but things get complicated, as we get clues about why Margaret may not want this day to end.

Lev Grossman’s screenplay, adapted from his short story (he’s also the author of the novels on which “The Magicians” is based), gets a little too cute dropping references to better-known time-travel stories. Director Ian Samuels (who made Netflix’s “Sierra Burgess Is a Loser”) keeps the pace well, and shows some flair setting up long takes following Mark or Margaret as they waltz through scenarios they’ve practiced a thousand times.

All the delight taken from “The Map of Tiny Perfect Things” is from the chemistry between the two leads, which is considerable. Allen is a likable guy, handsome but humble. And Newton — whose ever-growing resumé includes “Blockers,” “Pokemon Detective Pikachu” and “Freaky” — is delightful as the sardonic young woman with a hidden dark side. Together, they create an emotional map well worth following.

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‘The Map of Tiny Perfect Things’

★★★

Available starting Friday, February 12, for streaming on Prime video. Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some teen drinking and sexual references. Running time: 98 minutes.