GENRE:
Musical, Drama
RATING:
PG-13 for brief language and thematic material
RUNTIME:
2 hours and 17 minutes
PLATFORM:
Movie Theatre
STARRING:
Ben Platt (Pitch Perfect; The Politician)
Kaitlyn
Dever (Booksmart); Amy Adams (Enchanted)
DIRECTOR:
Stephen Chbosky (Perks of Being
a Wallflower, Wonder)
WRITER:
Steven Levenson (Masters of Sex,
Fosse/Verson)
PLOT:
A high school student finds himself involved with a family whose son has
committed suicide.
FULL DISCLOSURE: This is one of my favourite Broadway musicals.
STORY STUFF: I think this film adaptation was pretty good. I disagree with the Rotten Tomatoes critics who were bent on trashing this musical for its melodrama. It’s like they haven’t seen a staged musical before. The story is pretty faithful. They did remove a few parent songs including ‘Anybody Have a Map’, ‘To Break in a Glove’ and ‘Good for You’. While a couple of those are good songs they didn’t seem necessary as the focus was more on the kids. I did miss the song ‘Disappear’ which includes more involvement from Connor. I guess the main reason was to give Alana more story as the architect of the Connor Project. I did enjoy her new song ‘Anonymous’ and the new final song which is way more fitting. In fact, I thought the ending was a lot more clear and clean in this film version. There were tears throughout the movie; I’m not at all ashamed to admit it. Bring tissues.
ACTING STUFF: After the initial trailer I was worried that Platt looked too old to be playing a Grade 12 student. In a matter of minutes, he sold me with his performance. He plays the anxiousness and depression perfectly with his vocal stutters and making himself as small as possible. He is a gifted performer who gives his heart to every song and line. I was also a fan of Dever who plays Zoe beautifully. Amandla Stenberg give more depth to Alana thanks to her increased lines and song. Amy Adams and Julianne Moore are wonderfully maternal and I’m glad they both get a chance to sing.
ARTISTIC STUFF: When it comes to the choreography for the musical numbers, it is pretty minimal as the focus is on the emotional impact instead of spectacle. Of course, ‘Sincerely Me’ is the standout for production value. If you haven’t heard the musical numbers before, they are written by the duo behind La La Land and Greatest Showman, so expect awesome stuff. One thing I found weird was how big the kid’s rooms were. They were like the size of my apartment’s living room. I wish I had that much floor space when I was a teen. My librarian wife often looks at books on shelves in the background. She hilariously pointed out that the school library had a Danielle Steele novel on their shelf. Steamy.
VERDICT:
Four and half stars out of five
SEE IT IF:
You like Broadway musicals and don’t mind crying
UPCOMING REVIEW: Many Saints of
Newark
No comments:
Post a Comment