A cheerleader suffers a terrible accident and wakes up from a coma 20 years later, intent on returning to high school in the amusing Senior Year, starring Rebel Wilson. A fun if somewhat generic comedy, the movie is a worthwhile if not quite must-see watch on Netflix.

Wilson plays Stephanie, who does a fine job playing a fish out of water (as much as she is allowed, more on that later) as she awakes to find that a few things have changed since she went to school: namely, that her school no longer votes for prom king or queen (because if there aren’t winners, there can’t be any losers) and that the cheerleaders, so as not to offend or titillate, no longer dance or cheer anything even remotely controversial.

Senior Year, interestingly enough, is anti-woke, though not in a political way; it exists in part to poke fun at how obsessive society has become with being inoffensive. 

If it had stayed dedicated to its takedown of all things woke, it could have been the next Mean Girls; hell, had it remained focused on the fish-out-of-water scenario, it could have been hilarious. Instead, as is, it’s just a safe little comedy that, while entertaining, will likely be lost to time. 

Senior Year, directed by Alex Hardcastle, loses focus on the film’s sharpest angles in favor of your typical redemption and romantic storylines. There were so many opportunities to have Stephanie encounter technological advancements and other developments of the last 20 years to fill a movie, and equally so, its sparring with wokeness ultimately feels more like a passing joke than a dedicated theme. As decent as the movie is, Hardcastle and the credited screenwriters missed chances to develop something fresh and edgy. Do we really need another story where the hot girl realizes the nerdy friend is the right guy for her?

Despite the movie’s misses, Wilson is a good fit for the role (as is Angourie Rice, who plays her younger self) and the entire cast appears to have had a blast while making the movie, which ultimately rubs off on the audience. It’s a shame Senior Year isn’t more, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth watching.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.