Oh man, how am I going to describe Premature and not get too graphic? As the film opens, teenager Rob Crabbe (John Karna) awakens from an erotic dream only to find that he's had a Nocturnal Emission (look it up). Unfortunately, his mother (Katie Kneeland) barges in and sees the mess. Arriving downstairs, Rob's father (Steve Coulter) coaches him for his big interview with the recruiter from Georgetown University. Rob is joined by his best friend, Stanley (Craig Roberts), on the way to school, and once there, he talks to his gal-pal Gabrielle (Katie Findlay). Rob's day really takes a turn when his long-time crush, Angela Yearwood (Carlson Young), invites him over to study. But, to do this, he must blow off his plans with Gabrielle. Rob goes to Gabrielle's house, she hits on him, he gets too excited, and awakens in his bed to find that his day has started all over again. Rob quickly realizes that the day is going to keep repeating itself and that he can re-start it by having an orgasm. Will he be able to make the day perfect?

OK, you've got to hand it to Co-Writers Dan Beers (who also directs) and Matthew Harawitz, as they have come up with a unique twist on the decidedly stale Groundhog Day plot. Yes, the pitch is very easy to summarize -- "It's Groundhog Day meets any modern teen sex comedy" -- but, one must applaud that fact that someone actually came up with this idea. Not only is it ingenious, but it also works as a nice allegory of high school life, where every day can feel exactly the same and a young man’s quest for sex can seem unending. They have wisely chosen to avoid anything truly outlandish, as Rob's day is filled with several significant events, but nothing which feels unbelievable.

However, once the main premise is introduced in Premature, the movie doesn't know where to go. I love Groundhog Day, but I can admit that it gets a bit bogged down in the middle. The same certainly goes for Premature. The danger of any movie with this plot is that it can become redundant and that is certainly true here. Watching someone do something over and over again, even if details are changed, is a tricky endeavor and this film doesn't pull it off. The other issue is that in order to combat this, the script goes off of the rails. As noted above, the main events of Rob's day are grounded in reality. But, as things go on, Premature gets more and more loopy culminating in Rob getting into a fight which can't be taken seriously.

As a comedy, Premature whiffs as well. There are a few funny lines here, but the movie is never consistently funny. This derives from the fact that it's not sure from where the laughs should be coming. On the one hand, the movie focuses on a teenager who is at an early cross-roads in his life and he's faced with some big decisions. On the other hand, this is a gross-out movie about a guy with messy underwear. Premature has a difficult time walking that tight-rope between poignant and Porky's, as we are treated to a clever bit of dialogue, followed by yet another masturbation joke.

I really wanted to like Premature, as the concept is incredibly brash and the characters are likable for the most part. However, the funniest line in the film comes early on and the ending is far too predictable. In this sense, the movie took some chances, but it couldn't finish the job. Much like Rob.

The Premature DVD contains several extras. We begin with an AUDIO COMMENTARY from Director Dan Beers. The DVD brings us interviews with Beers, Co-Writer Matthew Harawitz, Alan Tudyk, Katie Findlay, Craig Roberts, Carlson Young, John Karna, Adam Riegler, and Producers Karen Lunder and Aaron Ryder. These vary in length and offer those involved the opportunity to talk about the plot and their involvement in the film. "Behind the Scenes with John Karna" (7 minutes) has the star of the film wandering the set, pointing things out and interacting with the crew. The "Alternate Ending" (4 minutes) simply offers a longer coda. The final extra is the TRAILER for the film.