Words on Bathroom Walls (2020)
Directed by Thor Freudenthal
Diagnosed with a mental illness halfway through his senior year of high school, a witty, introspective teen struggles to keep it a secret while falling in love with a brilliant classmate who inspires him to open his heart and not be defined by his condition.
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8 films that influenced Words on Bathroom Walls
What critics say influenced Words on Bathroom Walls
The 1999 Drew Barrymore romcom “Never Been Kissed” is referenced multiple times in “Words on Bathroom Walls,” with the older film cast in a rosy Proustian glow that may come as a jolt to any viewers who remember the 20th century.
While the Never Been Kissed references and patriarchal quips are a bit stilted, the fashion in which Maya’s home life is revealed is very effective.
He keeps his condition a secret from her (and as it turns out, she’s keeping mum about some things, too), but inevitably their feelings for one another deepen and real romance is in the air—though one might question the wisdom of having the lovebirds bond over a shared reverence for Drew Barrymore’s 1999 romcom “Never Been Kissed,” even if it’s intended as a joke.
If it continues to hit some cheesy beats (Maya is a feminism-spouting valedictorian but she secretly loves Never Been Kissed and is itching to be invited to prom), there's undeniable sweetness as a secretive and cynical pair of teens come nervously together.
Yes, Plummer and Russell are a cute, screwball-esque, cine-literate couple (they bond over Drew Barrymore rom-com Never Been Kissed and Adam likes to draw comparisons between his life and Will Hunting’s) a la those featured in The Fault in Our Stars , Five Feet Apart and the like, but there are complications to their lives that these kind of movies don’t always explore.
Tutoring turns into something more as the two young leads have great chemistry and would make fine partners in a romantic comedy — territory “Words” veers into when Adam discovers that his super-serious classmate’s favorite movie is “Never Been Kissed.”
I was reminded at times of The Fault in Our Stars , another YA adaptation about illness with low-key religious themes and a central relationship that morphs from platonic friendship into romance.
Overall, Words is the one of the most gratifying young-adult-novels-turned-films since 2014’s The Fault in Our Stars.
While The Fault in Our Stars received perhaps the widest popularity in its love story centered on terminally ill teens, the genre was at its finest with The Hate U Give ‘s youth-centered examination of racism and police brutality.
Yes, Plummer and Russell are a cute, screwball-esque, cine-literate couple (they bond over Drew Barrymore rom-com Never Been Kissed and Adam likes to draw comparisons between his life and Will Hunting’s) a la those featured in The Fault in Our Stars , Five Feet Apart and the like, but there are complications to their lives that these kind of movies don’t always explore.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: It somewhat mirrors The Perks of Being a Wallflower with its mentally ill protagonist, first-person narrative style and new-kid-in-school plot.
However, one wishes Words on Bathroom Walls captured the raw emotional depths of films like The Perks of Being a Wallflower or Edge of Seventeen .
Now following in The Perks of Being a Wallflower ‘s shoes, another story of young love, self-acceptance, and mental illness is offered in Words on Bathroom Walls .
The setup for director Thor Freudenthal’s (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) drama might sound like something you’ve seen countless times before in movies like The Perks of Being a Wallflower or Girl, Interrupted, but there is a distinctive approach that Words on Bathroom Walls takes that is more realistic and uplifting than most teenage love stories.
Like Russell Crowe’s John Nash in A Beautiful Mind , he’s orbited by a cast of supporting characters that only he can see and hear, representing various aspects of his psyche.
Comparisons to Ron Howard’s Best Picture-winning A Beautiful Mind are likely inevitable.
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From the plucky music, vocal delivery of dialogue from Charlie Plummer’s Adam, set design, and cinematography, Words is far more Love, Simon than it is One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest .
What helps keep "Words on Bathroom Walls" from being too overbearing in its depiction of mental illness is that director Thor Freudenthal ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid") and screenwriter Nick Naveda (working from Julia Walton's book) try to avoid "Good Will Hunting" moments.
The setup for director Thor Freudenthal’s (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) drama might sound like something you’ve seen countless times before in movies like The Perks of Being a Wallflower or Girl, Interrupted, but there is a distinctive approach that Words on Bathroom Walls takes that is more realistic and uplifting than most teenage love stories.
Eliciting affecting performances from the two leads, director Thor Freudenthal ( Wimpy Kid ; Hotel for Dogs ; Percy Jackson 2 ) handles the face-to-camera device well as Adam narrates his own story, sometimes honestly, sometimes unreliably.
YA adaptations (this one by Nick Naveda from Julia Walton’s novel) of teen romances featuring illness usually trod a well-worn path, but director Thor Freudenthal ("Hotel for Dogs," "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters"), blessed with a hugely talented lead and exceptional supporting cast, makes a real name for himself here with one that truly shines.
Rather than the usual tropes of his mother being a saint and her new partner Paul ( Justified’s Walton Goggins) being a bully or heel, there are nuances and shades that only come into play as director Thor Freudenthal ( Diary of a Wimpy Kid , Hotel for Dogs ) and screenwriter Nick Naveda’s adaptation reaches its denouement.
To be fair, this saturation is likely by design: one does not hire the director of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Hotel for Dogs for his skill at subtlety and elegance.