By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.75 cats
Director: Thor Freudenthal
Starring: Andy Garcia | Beth Grant | Charlie Plummer | Molly Parker | Taylor Russell | Walton Goggins
Country: united_states
Year: 2020
Running time: 110
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8045906/reference
Michael says: “Structurally, there’s nothing really all that noteworthy about WORDS ON BATHROOM WALLS, a high school rom-com that hits all the right beats and plays out in a fairly expected manner. What makes WORDS ON BATHROOM WALLS notable, and in fact, special is the fact that Adam, our protagonist, is diagnosed with schizophrenia, and it is the frank, and respectful handling of Adam’s condition that sets WORDS apart from your standard high school fare. Not that there’s anything wrong with high school fare, and director Thor Freudenthal has lots of experience making films for kids and teens (PERCY JACKSON: SEA MONTERS, DIARY OF A WHIMPY KID, HOTEL FOR DOGS, STUART LITTLE, and more). Adam’s got a supportive, loving mother, a deadbeat dad who took off, a new man in Mom’s life that he doesn’t like, and a girl at his new school that he likes. Where things start to divert from the standard, is what sets Adam apart from others. He’s not shy, or unattractive, or socially inept… he has a medical condition that is misunderstood by most of those around him, and carries a stigma even for Adam. After causing quite a ruckus in his Chem lab, and injuring his friend, Adam is transferred to a private Catholic school as a last-ditch effort to get him graduated from high school so he can advance to culinary school, his dream, and one of the few activities that grounds him and that he excels at. To make sure things go smoothly, Adam starts a new experimental drug that aims to balance his condition, and while it works, getting his academic and social career in good shape in his new school, it also numbs him emotionally, and physically, making his ability to cook and his emotional well-being suffer. Adam secretly stops taking his pills, which as you might expect, doesn’t go well. Throughout all this, and despite a few difficult to explain occurrences, Adam keeps his schizophrenia a secret from his classmates, most notably, the girl he has a crush on, and who has started dating. She is also not quite what she presents, but the two grow to care for each other a great deal.
“Naturally things go horribly wrong, and it centers around the Prom, but things move past that so the Adam gets a chance at moving forward again. Not that the film wraps things up in a tidy bow, but it allows Adam to get past some challenges when he learns to accept the love and support of those around him. And while Freudenthal and screenwriter Nick Naveda (who based his screenplay on the novel by Julia Walton) do a good job, the performances really shine. Charlie Plummer (from Chlotrudis-nominated LEAN ON PETE) handles Adam very well, capturing the needed high-school rom-com lead vibe, but also not overdoing it when it comes to portraying his mental illness. Taylor Rusell (WAVES, ‘Lost in Space’) does a very nice job with Charlie’s love interest, Emily, who is valedictorian, whip-smart, confident and hiding a little secret of her own. I watched WORDS because of the presence of Beth Grant (DONNIE DARKO, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, ‘The Mindy Project’) who enhances every film she is in. As the nun who runs Charlie’s new school, she is, on paper, a villain, but while she does put Adam in some tough spots, and is also used as comic relief, she never loses her compassion, even when her actions are misguided. The big surprise for me until she appeared on the screen was the presence of one of my all time favorites, Molly Parker (MADELINE’S MADELINE, TRIGGER, MARION BRIDGE) as Adams mother, Beth. Beth is in the tough spot of portraying a devoted, loving mother, doing her best to support her struggling son, even as his condition causes him to mistrust her and last out at her. Top that off with that fact that Adam hates her new boyfriend, Paul, played by character actor Walton Goggins (ANT-MAN & THE WASP, LINCOLN) and uses their relationship as further evidence that Beth is not really the loving mom she seems to be. Andy Garcia also has a nice supporting role as a priest who develops a mentoring relationship with Adam.
“So a combination of straightforward, storytelling, strong performances, and a respectful handling of a difficult subject all added up to make WORDS ON BATHROOM WALLS a very nice experience. I will give it 4 cats.”
Bob says: “Not much to say about this. I don’t see a lot of coming of age films, much less its sub-genre, coming of age with mental illness, but while this felt pretty predictable, I think it worked well. I did appreciate the fact that movie cliches served as the protagonist’s hallucinatory crew — an ’80s teen sex comedy guy and a manic pixie dream girl. And Molly Parker is great in anything she does.”
Chris says: “The casting, from Charlie Plummer (Lean On Pete) to the always dependable Beth Grant is exceptional. Folding schizophrenia into a teenage rom-com is a gamble to say the least; predictability aside, however, it mostly works. 3.5 cats“