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Where’s an F-bomb when you need one? TV veteran R.J. Cutler’s sappy riff on Gayle Forman’s young adult weepie novel expands Chloë Grace Moretz’s CV – there’s no swearing, vampirism, telekinesis – but as between-life-and-death movies go it makes Ghost look like Mulholland Dr .

he cast provide what life it has: Moretz is winning as Mia, a teen cellist left in a coma after a car crash. Jamie Blackley makes light work of her rock’n’roll boyfriend too. But as ghost-Mia reflects on her life, the film strains painfully to ingratiate itself: Hit-Girl would positively gag on its phoney hipster-speak, pop homilies and groovy parents.

Kevin Harley is a freelance journalist with bylines at Total Film, Radio Times, The List, and others, specializing in film and music coverage. He can most commonly be found writing movie reviews and previews at GamesRadar+.