Using my personal rating system of "loved," "liked," "meh," & "nah," this is a “liked/loved”.

Things I liked:

I liked the way the movie was put together; I get impatient with long backgrounds or set ups and I like that they just jumped right in and then made judicious use of flashbacks to give the appropriate background. I liked most of the way the characters were portrayed.

The ML and FL were two socially awkward introverts (one of which with some childhood issues he still needs to work out) who found each other. I felt that their interactions were believable and that FL stood up to the ML when she needed to. I liked the always-supportive friends in the background. The first time I watched it, the beginning did not make a lot of sense, but it all wraps up nicely by the end. I also liked how they explained how the ML started to notice the FL and how he planned to get closer to her after learning about her personality.

I did not get SMLS (thank heavens, it’s practically pathological with me) but I liked the brother and sister duo—and that they started to get their lives on track by the end.


Things I did not like so much:

I wish this was truly a stand-alone movie without any relationship to the show. I’ve not watched the show, but from what I’ve read in the reviews here on MDL, it’s quite different in terms of character development and portrayal (and I’m really wishing I never read the reviews of the show…). To me, it kind of puts a shadow over the movie because the movie ML seems to be a much more sympathetic character than the show version and the FL much less of a pushover. In the movie version, I don’t see the ML being so much manipulative as a ‘mastermind’ who uses the resources at his disposal to protect those he cares about.

I do wish the ML would have acknowledged his childhood issues and agreed to therapy or something—he may have been angry at the kids who moved to his house when he was little, but it was not their fault. And if they had been reporting on him to his dad—what else could they have done? The guy was paying for their room, board, and education.

I was not too sure about the believability of stalker-guy’s character. He was so extreme. One moment he was violent and full of rage, the next cowering and horrified by all the attention. That character did not appear stable enough to maintain a university enrollment long enough to stick around and cause trouble—unless put there by the screenwriter/director/etc.

Final thoughts: I liked this and have re-watched it at least three times. I’ve never watched the drama. Just pretend it’s a stand-alone movie, not associated with any drama and I hope you enjoy. ?