"Adults are just scared kids who are lucky enough to have made it out of limbo alive."
Director: Richard Tanne
Release Date: August 21st, 2020
Where Available: Amazon Prime
Rating:
Summary:
A high school transfer student finds a new passion when she begins to work on the school's newspaper.
Review:
Amazon Prime Studios has some great original content. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Boys, Homecoming, Jack Ryan, Honey Boy, and The Report are all spectacular productions that I recommend. But I cannot say that Chemical Hearts is one of the best things to come out of this studio. I thought it was a cool movie while I was watching, but once I took a closer look, it wasn't as special as I thought.
Chemical Hearts is the story of Henry Page (Austin Abrams), a teenage hopeless romantic that has never fallen in love. He wants to be the editor in chief of his school newspaper, which should hopefully help him get into a new college, but nothing interesting enough has ever happened to him that he could write about. That is until Grace Town (Lili Reinhart) transfers to his school. Henry and Grace are chosen as co-editors on the school newspaper, which forces them to work closely. As we follow their relationship, we learn about the trauma Grace faced in the path, and how it is stopping her from living her life to the fullest.
I am never a fan YA book to movie adaptations starting with narration from the main character. With quotes like "you are never more alive than when you're a teenager," the movie is already off to a pretty cliche start. I mean, look at the characters names: Henry Page is a writer with the last name "Page" and Grace Town moved from one town to the next and her last name is "Town." I understand that these names were taken from the book when making the adaptation, but there are so many names out there and you still had to give the writer "Page" as a last name? Adding onto that, Henry's hobbies include gluing pieces of broken pottery together with liquid gold. This comes back later in the film when Grace shouts at him and says "I'm not one of your vases!" Henry's sister also happens to be a neurosurgeon, which makes it way too easy for her to explain to us the affects of love, sex, and heartbreak on the teenage body and nervous system. I just wish there were more subtle ways to have all of this information connect because it felt so forced.
Don't get me wrong, I love a good cheesy montage every once in a while if it adds something to the story, but the one in the middle of Chemical Hearts showing how Henry and Grace are getting closer was a cheat. It skipped parts of their relationship that I wish had been included.
Quick note about the supporting characters in this movie: Where are they? There was so much focus on Grace and Henry that "Henry's friends" just walk in the background without any recognition. I wanted more.
Lili Reinhart is amazing in this film. Most of you will know her from her character Betty in Riverdale. Now, whatever opinions you have on that series (mine are not positive), I promise you that she shines bright in this movie. Even though the entire film is pretty cliche, Grace is a character I haven't quite seen before. She isn't "quirky" and doesn't have that "not like other girls" cliche that is usually given to teenagers like her in other movies. She has gone through trauma, and tries to pass through life acting like she is okay when she is actually hanging on by a thread. Reinhart is so powerful in this role, especially opposite Abrams. These two actors have amazing chemistry onstage and are the reason this film was entertaining to watch, even if the plot was super predictable.
Even after everything critical I have said, I did enjoy watching Chemical Hearts. Coming of age stories hit close to home for me, and I'm sure for many others. As teenagers, we experience new friends, new fears, and new feelings that make us feel connected to everyone around us. From The Perks of Being a Wallflower to The Hate You Give to Booksmart to The Breakfast Club, everyone can relate to stories of growing up and having to confront adult situations at a young age. The plots are broad so that more people can relate to the story, but unique enough so that we get a new perspective every time. Our teenage years are what mold us into the people we are meant to become, and seeing our stories reflected in movies and TV shows makes us feel safer in the chaos of the world around us.
One more thing: what I am constantly seeing talked about in reviews for Chemical Hearts is how good the soundtrack was, so I am going to include some songs that were played incase you want to listen:
Take Care - Beach House
Heart Skipped A Beat - The XX
Where's My Love - SMYL
Tribe - Captain DaFeria
Piece Of Your Heart - Meduza Feat. Goodboys
Vulnerable - Tinashe
A Great Design - Black Marble
We Stayed Up All Night - Tourist Feat. Ardyn
"We tend to think of scars as ugly or imperfect, as things we want to hide or forget. But they never go away. Scars are not reminders of what's been broke, but rather what's been created."
"There's a reason why when every author, from Shakespeare to Salinger, write about young people, they can't avoid the truth, that being young is so painful, it's almost too much to feel."
"When I look at that, it reminds me that people are just the ashes of dead stars. We're just a collection of atoms that come together for a brief period of time, and then we fall apart. When all of this is over and we are dispersed back into nothingness, we have a clean slate. It's like having all of your sins wiped away."
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