Forever (2025)

It’s an insightful update of Blume’s novel, a powerful addition to Akil’s body of work, and a deeply compelling piece of art.

Stunning. .... Writing so specific, it’s universal; the intimacy of the directing (including a premiere helmed by executive producer Regina King); the intensity Simone and Cooper bring to their roles; the richness of the cinematography; a hip-hop and R&B soundtrack that reflects the music of the characters’ lives—it all combines to make one of TV’s best romances, full stop.

a lovely and wonderfully textured TV series. .... So much rests on Cooper and Simone’s performances, which are terrific.

Ultimately, “Forever” is a series as cozy and comforting as the good book that inspires it, and will certainly become a streaming favorite.

“This is, like, low-key adorable,” says Keisha’s friend, approvingly. The same is true of the show: Forever is, like, low-key adorable, too.

As a whole, Brock Akil skillfully translates Blume's novel for the present-day by tackling the effects of social media on present-day youth, while maintaining the essence of the source material through an evocative depiction of Justin and Keisha's on-and-off romance.

Sprawling sluggishly over eight, hour-long episodes, Netflix’s new teen drama Forever really does feel like it goes on… well… foooor-evaaaah. This is a huge shame because, if only it were zippier, it would be precisely the kind of thoughtfully conceived and tenderly acted coming-of-age tale that our kids (and their parents) need right now: a perfect counterbalance to the worst-case scenario of Adolescence.

Best thing I’ve seen on Netflix since adolescence. The cinematography was amazing and the character development was excellent. Given how good the show is, it seems like people are review bombing this without even watching because of their racist thoughts on the show. Such a sad state we live in!

Uma série que a geração Z precisa assistir, pois por mais que tenha certa pieguice em alguns momentos, não trata os personagens como idiotas, e também o sexo está na medida certa entre não banalizar e se permitir, mas principalmente, por tocar temas centrais sobre amadurecimento. Uma grata surpresa.

I'm just not really sure what this is trying to be. Or maybe I'm not the market audience as a 40 something guy. It starts out interesting. The characters are warm, actors seemed great. I loved seeing Wood Harris again. But the series never really goes anywhere. The acting music and various other things are done well enough, but the plot seems to tread water after a couple episodes. Again - this might be because I'm not the demographic. It was never bad. But it was safe, and never risky either, especially the last few episodes. It seemed to use 8 episodes on a pretty common story that could have been told in four.

I wanted to like this and tried slogging through the first episode multiple times, but it's just not very good. The acting is ok, the story is ok, the whole thing is just mediocre. Not sure what the critics were smoking for this one.