I know what you’re thinking: another Twilight fangirl regurgitating yet another one of its ridiculous plot twists. But no, I assure you: this time, it’s different. While the previous installment ended with Edward and Bella’s marriage being blessed by a local priest, Charlie and the Blonde from Twilight actually promise to entertain us with the adventures of their burgeoning romance.
Based on the first two books in the Twilight saga, Charlie and the Blonde is the ultimate bromance – a love story between two best friends. It’s not uncommon for a romantic comedy to fall under the radar of the masses, as finding a partner can be hard enough without having to compete with thousands of other couples looking to spend their evenings out on a date. However, that doesn’t mean that this film doesn’t pack a punch. While the previous Twilight films focused on the monsters and beasts that inhabit the imagination of their teenage protagonists, Charlie and the Blonde is actually a coming-of-age romance. It’s a sweet story of a couple of pre-pubescent boys finding their way in the world, and it gives us a peek at some of the issues that these young men will face as they navigate their way through teenhood and beyond.
The performances in Charlie and the Blonde are excellent throughout. Michael Angarano and Patrick Stovskov are pitch-perfect as the teenage versions of Edward and Bella, and they bring a realism that the material desperately needs. The same goes for Emory Cohen as the eponymous Charlie – a character whose journey from childhood to manhood has all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster. The supporting cast, including Martin Starr, Anna Friel, and Alexander Skarsgard, help elevate the material and bring it to the big screen in all of its PG-13 glory.
The Leisure Seeker
One of the challenges of adapting a timeless piece like Hamlet for the big screen is that you can’t simply slap a contemporary setting on it. The setting of the Danish prince’s revenge-penned tragedy is set in the distant past, but the way that it is envisioned onscreen is more akin to contemporary society. While the majority of the dialogue and situations in Charlie and the Blonde are rooted in history, certain elements, like the way that men and women socialize their children or the prevalence of certain diseases, are clearly a product of their time. This is made especially clear in a later scene, when Viggo Mortensen’s gravely-intoxicated Oskar brings up the COVID-19 pandemic in a fit of rage.
This being a Nicholas Sparks adaptation, you might be expecting a sappy Hollywood ending, but Charlie and the Blonde is anything but conventional. The journey that these two boys go on is one that we’ve seen before in the form of It’s a Wonderful Life, In Time, and even Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle – but with a twist that will delight fans of the original work. This story of young men finding their way in the world is never less than touching, and it gives us a uniquely poignant look at how much these kids will learn from their mistakes. You’ll walk away feeling as though you’ve experienced a completely new side of life – and you might just find it interesting.