All the Bright Places Review: A Teenage Romance That Shines Amidst The Darkness Of Grief And Mental Illness
All the Bright Places on Netflix is a young adult film that has more depth than most of its counterparts, but gives off the usual feeling of being a watered down version of the source material.
It’s rare for a film adaptation to overcome “the book is better” pitfall, and All the Bright Places is not one of those rare cases. Although, it is a decent film with many rewarding elements.
Firstly, the casting. Elle Fanning plays Violet and she was the first to be cast as well as the author’s first choice. She also has a producer credit on the film. Fanning’s performance is quiet and understated and very much like the character from the novel.
Her portraying Violet coming out of her shell of grief is believable and authentic. The reticence she shows towards Finch at first and the way she slowly warms and then burns for him seems like a very natural progression. It is really a beautiful portrayal.
Justice Smith as Finch is excellent casting. Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprayberry, and Jack Kilmer had all been mentioned as being involved in this role, and I, for one, am glad they went a different route. Smith embodies that unique essence of Finch in his performance, and does it with ease.
Representation of people of color with mental illness is lacking in media. It’s nice to see it here in the wonderful character of Theodore Finch, especially with the film’s teen demographic. However, his mental illness is vaguely addressed and somewhat glossed over.
In the end, it is Violet’s speech that gives this aspect weight when it should’ve been in the character of Finch all along.
Also, the message about how to get help if you are suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts is at the end of the film (although “suicide” is mentioned in the rating alongside “language”). It would behoove Netflix to take trigger warnings seriously. This should’ve been at the beginning so those that might be affected by the subject matter can be prepared.
This is not a typical teen rom-com, and people shouldn’t go into it thinking that it is.
It is hard to view this film from the standpoint of someone who has not read the book since I have, but I think viewers going in unaware of the story and characters would enjoy it. They would get the emotional, coming-of-age love story with some of the dark aspects of mental illness.
But, unfortunately there would be a lot lost on them as well, most notably Finch’s rich, complicated inner world. The book is from the point of view of both Finch and Violet, but the film focuses more on Violet in this way.
It misses some opportunities to delve deeper into Finch’s psyche, leaving his role underdeveloped. This is a result of the writing not the acting. Smith does a great job of bringing Finch’s charisma and pathos from the page to the screen.
However, Jennifer Niven, the author of the book co-wrote the screenplay, so it is interesting that this fell between that particular crack. Also, some major changes are made that do not seem necessary in the slightest, such as Finch and Violet’s meeting place. I think a lot of fans of the book were looking forward to the bell tower scene so it starts off with a small disappointment there.
Speaking of disappointment, the film takes place in Indiana and the main plot revolves around a school assignment to wander the wonders of Indiana. The film was shot in Ohio. It’s probably because I’ve been watching a lot of Parks and Recreation that this bothers me.
Like me, I think Leslie Knope would take offense to this.
All in all, there is a lot to like about this movie whether or not you are coming from a “the book was better” standpoint. And there are things to complain about, too, more so for the readers of the book.
It becomes a catch-22 where you get more out of the film if you’ve read the book, but it does make omissions and changes all the more glaring and frustrating.
What did you think of All the Bright Places? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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All the Bright Places is currently streaming on Netflix.
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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.