Directed by: Jessica
Sharzer
Starring: Kristen
Stewart, Eric Lively, Michael Angarano, Hallee Hirsh, and Steve Zahn
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Teen, Drama
It’s Melinda Sordino’s (Stewart) first year of high school
and nothing is what she thought it would be. She enters the year with no
friends and faces the wrath of her peers for an incident that happened over the
summer. She called the cops at a party, everyone in attendance was busted, and
only she knows the reason why she did it. Labeled a “squealer,” Melinda shrinks
away from her peers and slowly stops talking altogether, losing herself in her
art. As the end of the year rolls around, she realizes that she must tell her
secret, she has to open her mouth and Speak.
I think this film did a very good job of capturing the essence
of the novel. It stays mostly true to the story, only changing a few things
here and there. I found it amusing that her history teacher’s name actually was
“Mr. Neck” and not just what she called him. I didn’t like that they changed
Andy Evans’s (Lively) character, or the final confrontation between him and
Melinda at the climax of the novel, turning a highly suspenseful scene into a
blink-and-it’s-over moment.
The acting was decent, with Stewart stealing the show as
Melinda. She may get a lot of criticism from detractors over her lack of
expression – but that worked for her in this film. Melinda is a depressed
character, holding back a dark secret that she feels she can’t tell anyone.
Stewart also has a knack for delivering witty lines with a deadpan face, which
worked for the character as well. She can, however, express emotion, and does
so very well.
Right behind Stewart’s performance is Steve Zahn’s as her
art teacher, Mr. Freeman. It was nice to see Zahn in a serious role where he’s
not getting naked or acting like an idiot. (Although those roles are usually
rather hilarious.) He really takes an interest in her and her work, encouraging
her at every turn, and being one of the main reasons she begins to have
confidence again. His energy is contagious, and I couldn’t help but smile when
he was onscreen.
I was surprised to see Eric Lively playing the main
antagonist, Andy Evans. I grew up watching him as the kindly older brother
figure on Disney’s So Weird, so it
was a little strange seeing him as the bad guy. I was especially surprised at
how good he was in the role. He and Kristen Stewart also had a great chemistry,
and the scenes they share in the party flashbacks border on adorable in some
cases. This chemistry is another reason why I didn’t like how anti-climactic
the final confrontation between the two of them actually was.
The bullying was also amped up in the film. In the book,
Melinda did face it a little, but not nearly as badly as in the film. Here the
kids yell “Squealer” at her, making pig noises whenever she walks by, and throw
things at her. She is ridiculed, her books slapped out of her hands, and signs
taped to her back. Her teachers aren’t much better, with Mr. Neck deciding she’s
a trouble maker from day one, yelling in her face and being an overall bigot.
Lastly, her parents don’t even try to understand her, until after the final
confrontation between her and Andy, when everyone finds out the truth. As with
the novel, I was left wondering how no one seemed to realize that Melinda had
gone through something very traumatic – something that changed her entire
personality.
Overall, it’s a fairly compelling film with good
performances from the leads. There are some deviations from the novel, and I
didn’t like how rushed the final confrontation was, but it is still a solid
film and worth a watch.
7/10
