Chemical Hearts
Starring: Lili Reinhart, Austin Abrams
Directed By: Richard Tanne
Rated: R
Picture it, if you will. It’s late August. I haven’t been to a movie theater in almost six months. I’m desperate for a new movie to watch. I’m scrolling through the apps. Netflix. Hulu. Not desperate enough to go to cable yet, so I check Amazon Prime. At the top of the recommended section is a new teen romance film called Chemical Hearts. It’s new, and I haven’t heard of it, so why not give it a chance? That’s how the journey led us to this review. Riveting, isn’t it?
Chemical Hearts is about high school senior Henry Page, a teenage writer who laments that nothing exciting has ever happened to him in life. If only an actor from Riverdale would walk in to make things more interesting. Oh wait, that’s exactly what happens—Cue Lili Reinhart as Grace Town, a mysterious new student who has an affinity for poetry. Grace intrigues Henry, but there’s a deep sadness to her that he can’t figure out. The two become co-editors of the school paper, which leads to a relationship that will change their lives.
If I could describe Chemical Hearts in one word, it would be moody. So much teen angst happening here that there should be a constant string of Paramore songs playing in the background. Do you remember the days of John Green adaptions ruling the teen movie genre (The Fault in Our Stars/ Paper Towns)? Well, this feels a lot like John Green’s formula of mysterious girl meets boy trying to live an exciting life. I was actually surprised when I saw the credits and realized he wasn’t involved.
Director/screenwriter Richard Tanne keeps the viewers invested in the story with the mystery of Grace’s past and the potential romance of Grace and Henry. The frequent cuts to chemicals reacting is a bit obvious considering the title but it works visually. Yet, the movie feels like such a downer. While films like The Spectacular Now, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and even The Fault in Our Stars deal with trauma through the lens of teenagers, it works. This often feels slow-paced, dull, and repetitive. Grace and Henry share a nice moment. Grace gets mad. Grace leaves with no explanation. Rinse and repeat.
Austin Abrams and Lili Reinhart in Chemical Hearts. Photo Belongs to Amazon Studios
I have to give credit to Austin Abrams for carrying the lead role well. Abrams has been on a roll lately playing characters in Euphoria, This Is Us, and Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark. In Chemical Hearts, he’s the struggling writer Henry who wants to experience life. When he meets Grace, he becomes fascinated with her and falls in love. Abrams brings kindness and sensitivity to Henry. He’s a believable protagonist who seems like a relatable teenage high school student.
Lili Reinhart spends half of this movie in an emotionally flat daze. Every reaction is so deadpan that I became frustrated with the character. Grace is meant to act that way because of a traumatic event that recently happened, but the mystery is kept hidden for so long. Reinhart does showcase her impressive acting ability in a scene in the film’s third act. (Yes, the scene does take place in the abandoned warehouse that she and Henry love to visit.) Tweens and teens, if there is any chance you are reading this: please do not go hang out in an abandoned warehouse. It’s not romantic, and you will probably die. Nobody from Riverdale is going to be there.
Chemical Hearts is a movie that feels like something that wants to be “deep” for the sake of being deep. Unfortunately, it never reaches its full potential. It falls flat somewhere between the poetry readings and indie music soundtrack and makes its way into soap opera territory. If you’re looking for an excellent analysis of chemical reactions in high school students please look no further than Aly & AJ’s smash hit pop song “Chemical’s React.” It is only 3 minutes long and better than this movie.
My Rating: 5/10