A movie with great potential......but a poor director.

Rating: 6/10 (20 October 2012)

So another "High School in America makes you suicidal movie?",not exactly.I am a massive Harry Potter fans,so in truth I went to this movie as I really wanted to see Emma Watson in her post-potter debut.I didn't know much about the film as the trailer doesn't exactly give the story away and I hadn't read the book,so I didn't know what to expect.I entered the cinema with my hopes of Emma Watson delivering a "Oscar Worthy" performance and the movie being enjoyable very high,However,this proved not to be the case.
The movie is about an introvert,Charlie (Logan Lerman) who has a history with mental illness and finds it difficult to relate people,the movie begins with "Dear friend,I haven't really spoken to anyone outside of my family this summer,but tomorrow is my first day and I really wanna turn things around this year",I like this,as in truth a lot of people in their teens always feel a bit edgy before they return to high school and each of us wish to maintain and make friendships.As the movie progresses we are introduced to other main characters,Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Erza Miller) who befriend Charlie after a few days of high school.For me,the casting of characters in this movie was excellent,from the leading roles of Charlie,Patrick and Sam right down to the selection of Dylan McDermott as Charlie's dad.Emma Watson delivers an excellent performance as the abused but very strong character of Sam,I think the emotion she provides is breathtaking and her character,I'm sure,is very relatable to a lot of people but especially girls, she plays a kind and loving girl who had a difficult past but is dealing with it and moving on,her character is an inspiration,and Watson delivers beautifully, she also does a decent job with the American accent of Sam,I was really impressed by her.Erza Miller is also excellent as the gay and vocal Patrick,his character suffers a lot in the movie also,but remains positive and upbeat and really highlights the high school aspect of this film,with his cheeky attitude towards teachers and his love for his friends,however,the performance that I liked the most was that of Logan Lerman,I think he was superb and for me,his portrayal of Charlie is one of the best male performances in many years,I didn't know much about Logan previous to this movie,but its safe to say I'm now a fan.He is excellent in this role and is very relatable, even though his character is slightly more introverted than most.I'm sure he has a very prosperous career a head of him.
There is no doubt about it that this movie had great potential and if directed correctly with its cast and story, it could have been a massive hit worldwide,however,I feel the wrong decisions were taken and I think it was a bad idea to get Stephen Chbosky,the author of the book to direct it.I feel with the incredible cast,the amazing story and messages it had to offer it could have been so much better and thats why I was so disappointed with it.Every teenager in the world could relate to what this movie is about and its content- Bullying in schools,different groups,issues with drugs,suicide,sexuality and family life.The movie had so many issues it was hard to follow,and the director put them across in a confusing and rushed way,for example,the story of Brad (Johnny Simmons) the rich,pretty sports jock who everyone wants to be,in secret he is in a gay relationship with Patrick but can't make it public due to his father being totally anti-gay!this is a touching story in its self and shows us that even the "cool kids" as we perceive them have problems and can be unhappy with their life. When Brad is away from the other idiotic muscular jocks,he is a genuine nice guy,I loved that about this film that it explored different aspects of high school and didn't just go with the stereotypical view that all sporty jocks are bullies,it showed they too have problems,but with this relationship,Sam's history of abuse,Charlie's mental illness and various reason for it and Charlie's sexual relationship with Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman) it all becomes a bit too much to handle and it feels as though the director felt, lets take everything from the book and cram it into an 102 minute film.Don't get me wrong I love the fact that this film deals with real issues but it becomes crammed and difficult to engage with,which in my opinion is vital,as this movie needs to be engaging and inclusive,it needs to make you feel like "yeah, i know exactly how that character feels" and it needs to be relatable,which at the end of the film I felt it wasn't,even though it had massive potential to be,I really feel the director let the cast down.
The movie is however full of inspirational and clever quotes, such as "In this moment,I swear,we are infinite","Welcome to the Island of Misfit Toys" and "We accept the love we think we deserve".I also love the choice of music for the movie,it has a really teenage "lets get out there,experience things and have fun" feel to it, and I love that. I'll watch this movie again,as I think I will need to,and probably read the book to get answers to all the unanswered questions left by the directing of Chbosky.
After leaving the cinema instead of feeling gripped,truly engaged and the feeling that high school is full of fun and crazy times, I felt confused,like I was trying to piece things together,as Chbosky leaves a lot unanswered in this film,and yes,that works sometimes,but this movie shouldn't have been like inception,it should have been a film that you felt engaged,in love,included and related too. As I said before,many people can relate to the issues raises in this movie and thats why in my opinion it could have been a massive hit,but poor directing will always hinder this films progress.