Though this film never captured the magic and brilliance of the book, there are undeniably powerful moments in the film that elevate this story beyond others in this genre. And though I have a lot of issues with it, I can put those aside to recognize a film that effectively told a unique and quite amazing story.
If there was any one thing that this film had to get right, it was the character of Auggie, and they definitely hit the nail on the head! Jacob Tremblay portrayed Auggie perfectly, giving an extraordinary performance infused with all the complexity that comes with playing that character. Makeup artist, Arjen Tuiten, also does a fantastic job in portraying Auggie’s deformity, a monumental task considering how much the book relies on our imagination of Auggie. Though, I have to admit that I had always imagined Auggie to look much worse than he looks in the film. Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson are also perfectly cast in their parts and infuse a great amount of depth into their characters.
However, contrary to what I expected, some of the best sequences in this film are not even present in the book. And some of the sequences that I didn’t like in the book were handled much better in the film. For instance, the scene where Jack and Auggie talk with each other in Minecraft was not in the book, but it just felt so natural and the ending brought such a huge smile to my face even though I knew what was going to happen between them. There is also a sequence after Auggie gets bullied in the woods where he meets up with his friends, and it’s such a powerful moment that is portrayed quite differently in the book and I thought it worked much better in the film. I was also never really a fan of Auggie getting an award on stage, but I thought the film handled this moment beautifully, and I actually loved the ending here where the camera points back to the audience.
My main issues with the film surprisingly stem from it trying to emulate the book too much, which leads to incessant narration and hasty character development. Though some may not take issue with the narration, I thought it came in the way of the beautifully crafted visuals that spoke for themselves. Not only that but it seemed as though some events and characters in the film were rushed through. I can understand that the makers of the film were trying to be faithful to the plot of the book, but at times some things just weren’t given enough room to breathe. This is most clearly seen with the Miranda character and her whole montage sequence, which just felt like a spark-notes summary rather than something fleshed out. I also felt the same with Jack’s story line, much of his timeline again felt more like a summary than someone actually living through those events. This is why I think the film would have worked better if it relied a little less on the narration, which just constantly explains how every character feels and thinks. This can be more effective in a book, but when it comes to film there is so much more you can do to convey a character’s thoughts more powerfully than just having them narrate it out.
Nevertheless, this move has it’s heart in the right place and it conveys it’s message powerfully at the end. You begin to understand Auggie, how he feels, and not only that, but you also get how his friends feel and his sister and her sister’s friend. You see the impact of the way you are to other people in a way that isn’t explored in many other films, certainly not with this much care.
Though the messages in this film are universal, there is certainly a younger demographic that the film is going for and I think this is a perfect film for kids. There is a lot they can take away from it, and as we see in the film with that last shot, there is also a lot that parents, or really anyone, can learn as well.
