I'll never forget the first time I watched a teen romance trailer and thought, “Yup, seen this before.” Winter Spring Summer or Fall's new trailer, dropped by Paramount Movies, hits those same beats: starry-eyed teens, a ticking clock, and a heart-wrenching choice. Jenna Ortega's Remi is Harvard-bound, all plans and no detours. Then comes Percy Hynes White's Barnes, the live-in-the-moment dreamer who flips her world upside down. Sounds like every rom-com since The Notebook, right? But hold on—there's a quiet rebellion in this trailer that's got me curious.
Cliche, Yet Compelling
Let's be real: the trailer leans hard into young love tropes. Chance meeting in winter? Check. Montage of seasons changing as feelings deepen? Double check. The “I thought we had a future” line? Oof, straight out of a CW drama. Yet, something about Ortega's wide-eyed intensity and White's reckless charm makes it work. The trailer's strength lies in its leads, not its originality. Ortega, fresh off Wednesday's global domination, brings a gravitas that hints at more than puppy love. Her Remi isn't just choosing between a boy and a dream—she's wrestling with who she wants to be.
The numbers back this up. Teen romances are box office gold when done right. According to a 2023 Box Office Mojo report, films like To All the Boys I've Loved Before grossed over $100 million worldwide on modest budgets, proving audiences crave these stories. But here's teh kicker: Winter Spring Summer or Fall isn't chasing Netflix-streaming vibes. Its Tribeca 2024 premiere and theatrical release (starting April 25, 2025) signal ambition. Director Tiffany Paulsen, a rom-com veteran (Holidate, Nancy Drew), knows the formula but seems to be sneaking in some soul.
A Decade of Teen Romance Tropes
To understand this trailer, let's rewind. The past decade gave us The Fault in Our Stars (2014), Love, Simon (2018), and All the Bright Places (2020)—each a teen romance with a twist. Cancer, coming out, mental health—these films used love as a lens for bigger issues. Winter Spring Summer or Fall follows suit but swaps tragedy for choice. Remi's Harvard-or-heart dilemma isn't life-or-death, but it's real. A 2022 Pew Research study found 60% of Gen Z feel pressure to follow “safe” career paths over passions. That's the tension here: stick to the script or rewrite it entirely.
What sets this apart? Timing. Post-pandemic, audiences are hungry for stories about seizing the day. Compare this to The Summer I Turned Pretty (2022), which rode a wave of nostalgia to dominate streaming charts. Paulsen's film feels less wistful, more urgent—like a wake-up call for a generation stuck planning their lives on Notion boards. Plus, Ortega's star power is a wildcard. Her ability to shift from horror (Scream VI) to drama (The Fallout) makes Remi's journey feel less predictable.
The Hidden Symbolism: Seasons as Stakes
Here's where it gets interesting. The trailer's title—Winter Spring Summer or Fall—isn't just poetic. Each season marks a chapter in Remi and Barnes' story, a visual metaphor for growth and loss. Winter's chance encounter is all possibility. Spring's blooming romance feels unstoppable. Summer's heat pushes them to confront reality. By fall, Remi's Harvard deadline looms like a storm cloud. It's not subtle, but it's effective—like a Taylor Swift album in movie form. This structure elevates the trailer beyond cliches, hinting at a story about time itself, not just love.
Will You Buy the Ticket?
Winter Spring Summer or Fall could be another forgettable VOD fling—or it could be the kind of film you sob through on a rainy afternoon. The trailer's got me leaning toward the latter, but I'm skeptical. Can Paulsen stick the landing, or will it fizzle into predictable mush? You'll either love this or roll your eyes. If Ortega's performance carries it, we might have a sleeper hit. Would you risk $15 on this love story? Drop your take below.
