"Say You Will" is a coming-of-age movie about 18 year old Sam Nimitz, whose world has been shattered by his father's suicide. Living with his emotionally withdrawn mother in the aftermath of this tragedy, Sam struggles to envision any kind of future while battling his own guilt and grief. When he reconnects with Ellie Vaughn, a popular classmate he's admired from afar, their deepening friendship becomes both a lifeline and a source of new complications as they navigate through teenage love. Set during the summer before Sam leaves for music college, the story explores how we process loss, the complexity of human relationships, and the way music can bridge the gaps between people.
The Story
Sam Nimitz is 18 years old. His father killed himself. His mother Janice hasn't recovered from the loss. She spends her days on the couch wearing her dead husband's pajamas and watching soap operas. Sam and his mother barely speak to each other.
Sam crashes his father's truck because he doesn't know how to drive stick shift properly. The police suspense his license. Now he owes money for the damages and has no way to get around.
At high school, Sam's English teacher gives the class an assignment. Students must write about where they want to be in five years. Sam can't finish the assignment. When the teacher calls on him to read it out loud, he only manages a few sentences. He mentions something his mother told him about two types of people in the world - those who leave and those who stay. Sam thinks his father was the type who leaves.
At graduation night, Sam talks to Ellie Vaughn at a party. He liked her since middle school when she wrote his name wrong on his gym shorts. Instead of "Nimitz" she wrote "Nimnuts" and other kids still make fun of that. They sit on swings and have an honest conversation. Sam tells her he doesn't drink alcohol because his father drank too much and he's afraid he might inherit the same problem. Ellie is a little drunk. She says she tries not to expect anything from life because people always end up like their parents anyway. Her boyfriend Zach interrupts them, but before she leaves, Ellie tells Sam to call her about a summer job.
Ellie works at Video Flicks, an old movie rental store. (This story happens in the 2000s so DVD/CDs were still relevant) She gets Sam hired there. The manager J.D. agrees to hire Sam even though he's only available until August when he leaves for music school. Since Sam can't drive, Ellie picks him up and drops him off every day. They become close friends. They share each other's secrets and even kiss.
Sam learns that Ellie works because her family struggles financially. Ever since her father abandoned her family, she has helped raise her younger siblings while her mother remains absent and distracted, often dating other men. Ellie has been working since she was 16, striving to support her family and build her own independence.
One night after work, Sam takes Ellie to his house. He lives in what used to be the garage. His father converted it into a music studio. Sam plays guitar and sings a song he wrote called "Our Only Son". The song is about missing his father. Ellie is very moved by the performance. Then she tells Sam something shocking - she's pregnant!
Sam is confused because he saw Ellie drinking at the graduation party. She explains that she's going to have an abortion and asks if Sam will drive her to the appointment. Sam agrees even though he's scared.
Sam starts worrying about leaving his mother alone when he goes to college. He finds old letters and photos hidden in his mother's things. The letters show that before she married his father, his mother was engaged to another man named Dean Hall. Dean was also his father's best friend. They were all in a band together. The letters show that his mother really loved Dean. Sam thinks maybe if Dean comes back into his mother's life, she won't be so lonely.
Sam and Ellie drive to Dean's furniture workshop. Sam lies to Dean and says his mother wants to see him. Sam invites Dean to his mother's birthday party. Dean seems hesitant but agrees to think about it.
At the birthday party, Dean shows up as a surprise guest. Instead of being happy, Sam's mother Janice gets very angry. She pulls Sam into a bedroom and yells at him. She says he had no right to go through her private things or invite Dean without asking. Then she tells Sam something that makes him feel terrible.
Before Sam's father died, he and Janice had a terrible fight. During this fight, Sam's father asked Janice a painful question: "Do you wish you had married Dean instead of me?" Janice was angry and hurt, so she didn't answer him. She just stayed quiet and let him think whatever he wanted. Now Janice blames herself for his suicide. She thinks that if she had told him "No, I'm glad I married you," he might still be alive. She carries this guilt and begs Sam to forgive her for possibly causing his father's death.
Sam leaves the party upset. He goes to another party at his boss's house. There he sees Ellie kissing and being close with Zach, her ex-boyfriend. Sam gets angry and confronts Ellie. He feels like she led him on while still being involved with Zach. They have a big fight. Sam says cruel things, including telling her to "go ahead and have that baby." Ellie tries to explain that her relationship with Zach is complicated, but Sam won't listen.
Sam also fights with his neighbor Bobby, who has been his friend since childhood. Bobby tries to tell Sam that everyone misses his father and that Sam needs to stop feeling so sorry for himself. Sam accuses Bobby of only being his friend because they live next door to each other.
After these fights, Sam goes to Dean's workshop to apologize for lying. Dean is understanding and gives Sam good advice. He says people aren't simply "leavers" or "stayers" but are much more complicated than that. Dean teaches Sam how to use woodworking tools. They work together building a table. Dean shows Sam how to turn 'angry energy' into creating something beautiful.
Sam keeps his promise to drive Ellie to her abortion appointment. Afterward, he takes her to the place where his father killed himself. Sam has never been there before but feels he needs to see it. At this lonely spot, Sam and Ellie apologize to each other. Ellie admits she handled her feelings for Zach badly and let it hurt their friendship. Sam is sorry for the mean things he said about her pregnancy.
They both realize they care about each other deeply but met at the wrong time in their lives. Ellie is dealing with the pregnancy and her complicated relationship with Zach. Sam is grieving his father and about to leave for college. They make a plan to meet again when they're 27 years old and hopefully have their lives more figured out.
On Sam's last day at Video Flicks, he gets to participate in a store tradition. Whenever someone quits, they get to knock down the wall of DVDs. As Sam destroys the display, he thinks about how much he's learned. He realizes people are much more complicated than he first thought. He understands now that the pain of missing someone who died doesn't just go away, but you can share that pain with other people instead of carrying it alone.
Before Sam leaves for music school, he does something very important. He goes to his mother and plays "Our Only Son" for her - the same song he played for Ellie. This is his way of sharing his deepest feelings about losing his father. As he sings, his mother finally opens up to him. They connect through their shared grief and begin to heal their relationship. The story ends with this moment between mother and son, showing that while the pain of loss never completely goes away, it doesn't have to keep people apart.
My Review
"Say You Will" is a decent movie that tackles grief and family dysfunction with more nuance than most films in this genre.
The film's greatest strength lies in its realistic portrayal of how trauma ripples through a family. Sam himself can't even complete a basic school assignment about his future because he's so stuck processing the past.
The central relationship between Sam and Ellie develops naturally through their shared work at a failing video store. Their connection builds through mundane interactions - straightening DVD displays, late-night donut runs, conversations during car rides. Ellie's pregnancy adds genuine complexity to their relationship rather than serving as simple melodrama. The film handles her decision to have an abortion without sensationalizing it, which demonstrates maturity in its approach to difficult topics.
However, the script stumbles with Sam's decision to secretly invite his mother's ex-fiancé to her birthday party. The film doesn't adequately establish why Sam would think this reunion would help rather than devastate his already fragile mother.
The emotional core of the story lies in the relationship between Sam and his mother. When Janice finally reveals that she refused to answer her husband's question about whether she regretted choosing him over Dean, it transforms her from a generic grieving widow into a complex character wrestling with guilt and complicity. This confession provides the film's most powerful moment and justifies much of the earlier setup.
The supporting characters serve their functions without overwhelming the main narrative. Dean provides wise mentorship about human complexity, while Bobby represents the normal teenage life Sam is rejecting.
The resolution through music feels earned. Sam's song "Our Only Son" functions both as artistic expression and for reconciliation with his mother. The decision to end on the family relationship rather than the romantic storyline shows the film understands its true priorities.
The film is often slow paced and too emotional sometimes. Some of the workplace comedy feels disconnected from the main emotional arc. The film also doesn't fully explore the practical consequences of the father's death, which seems like a missed opportunity given the family's apparent financial struggles.
The film recognizes that healing doesn't require forgetting, but rather learning to carry pain without being destroyed by it. It captures how trauma makes simple decisions feel impossible and how survivors often retreat into isolation as a coping mechanism.
The film will likely resonate most strongly with viewers who have experienced significant loss, as it portrays the non-linear, messy reality of grief processing. For general audiences, it offers a more realistic alternative to typical teen romance, though its slow pacing and uncomfortable subjects may not appeal to everyone.
Despite its flaws, "Say You Will" demonstrates genuine empathy for its characters and treats their struggles with appropriate seriousness. It understands that healing happens through connection and honest conversations rather than easy solutions.
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