Young talent carries burden of ‘ Words’
How do you tell a story about a teenager with schizophrenia without alienating your intended teenage audience? By depicting disorienting hallucinatory episodes as if they were the Snap in the “Avengers” movies, or at least that’s what it looks like in the new romantic drama “Words on Bathroom Walls.” I half expected Iron Man to swoop in and rescue our intrepid high school hero from his periods of darkness.
Part of the problem with this adaptation of Julia Walton’s young adult novel is that schizophrenia, while negatively impacting school and home life, seems fun. It even provides the protagonist a cool set of imaginary friends, straight out of a John Hughes movie, to hang out with.
Fortunately, director Thor Freudenthal (“Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters”) eventually finds some truth, thanks to
an exceptional cast headlined by two rising dynamic young actors, Charlie Plummer and Taylor Russell. A catchy score, from the Chainsmokers and Andrew Hollander, also helps.
Plummer plays Adam, a bright young man with a talent for cooking and dreams of attending a prestigious culinary school, raised by a single mother ( a terrific Molly Parker of Netflix’s “Lost in Space”). His life takes a drastic turn, right around the time a new love interest ( Walton Goggins, CBS’ “The Unicorn”) appears in mom’s life, when he experiences disturbing psychotic episodes that lead to a meltdown at school.
After he’s expelled from public school and diagnosed with schizophrenia, Adam receives medical and psychological help and is enrolled in a strict Catholic high school. Hindering his recovery are his imaginary friends — a flighty flower child ( AnnaSophia Robb), a baseballbatwielding bodyguard ( Lobo Sebastian) and a party dude ( Devon Bostick) forever leading him into temptation.
Captivated by the school’s pretty valedictorian, Maya ( Russell, whose turn in the excellent 2019 film “Waves” was Oscarworthy), Adam asks her to tutor him. She needs the money and agrees.
Soon, a tender friendship appears headed for romance, until complications with Adam’s illness and Maya’s home life intervene.
There are some regrettably underdeveloped parts to “Words on Bathroom Walls,” beginning with Maya’s situation. While the film is Adam’s story, Maya is all but ignored other than how she functions in relation to Adam.
She appears to be the only Black person at this high school. A couple of scenes establish that she is working at a diner because her father, who is medically disabled after an injury on the job, cannot provide for his children. But then — that’s it. There are a lot of interesting directions her character could have taken in the movie that are left unexplored.
Similarly, the biggest name in the cast — Andy Garcia — is wasted as a priest whose unconventional approach to the confessional booth seems to reach Adam. He is in about four scenes.
But Plummer — also outstanding as the male lead in last month’s teen horror comedy “Spontaneous” — walks the difficult tightrope of creating a sympathetic character with a terrible affliction, one that makes him act very ugly at times. Russell is able to meet his performance with strength and subtlety, holding her own despite not having the most fleshedout part.
Together, these two bright starstobe carry “Words on Bathroom Walls” across the finish line.
Oh, one more thing. Adam and Maya both hold dear a classic, oldschool film. One made before they were born. A cinematic masterpiece.
It’s the 1999 Drew Barrymore romcom “Never Been Kissed.”
I’m so old.