The Perks of Being A Wallflower seems like a typical teen movie. There are three stars (Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller) and it's set in high school and blah blah blah. But this film is so much more. High school characters have never had so many difficult things happen to them. These range from closeted homosexuality to a friend's suicide. The Perks of Being A Wallflower deals with all these issues and more. It is an emotional film, one that is very sad and at times very depressing. But in the end, it is the characters that drive the movie.
The film is about Charlie (Logan Lerman), a high school freshman who suffered a mental breakdown after his friend shot himself the past summer. He has a tough time adjusting to high school until he meets Sam (Emma Watson from the Harry Potter films) and Patrick (Ezra Miller). The step brother and sister pair introduce Charlie to a group of friends all with their own problems. Sam has had hard experiences with older guys, Patrick is dating a closeted football star and more. Charlie feels at home and he comes out of his shell with the help of his English teacher, Mr. Anderson (Paul Rudd) and his group of friends.
My synopsis makes the film seem all happy go lucky. But it's not. All the characters go through emotional highs and lows. The film is often very sad and depressing. The performances are great though. Lerman and Miller are the stand-outs for the emotional pain they bring to their roles but Watson is solid too.
The film does meander a bit in the middle and I think that they could have gotten that under control. There are times where I felt that they didn't really know what to do with the more mature stuff from the book (I'll get to that) but I think the fact that you are emotionally invested in the characters makes it all worth it. The stuff at the end is handled fantastically as well.
This is a film aimed at teenagers. Being a teenager, I saw myself in the film and could relate to a lot of the stuff at the beginning of Charlie not fitting in. It is likely that you will see yourself in this film as well, whether it be a small part or a large part of yourself. The Perks of Being A Wallflower is a good film that I think people should go see. It is not a great film but a very good one.
There is one more point I would like to bring up. From what I have read, this was an R-rated book that was turned into a PG-13 movie. There is still drug use, sexual dialogue, language, and hard emotional material but it seems from watching the movie that there was a lot that was toned down. It doesn't lessen the film. I just though I would point that out.
THE FINAL GRADE: B (7.3/10)
The film is about Charlie (Logan Lerman), a high school freshman who suffered a mental breakdown after his friend shot himself the past summer. He has a tough time adjusting to high school until he meets Sam (Emma Watson from the Harry Potter films) and Patrick (Ezra Miller). The step brother and sister pair introduce Charlie to a group of friends all with their own problems. Sam has had hard experiences with older guys, Patrick is dating a closeted football star and more. Charlie feels at home and he comes out of his shell with the help of his English teacher, Mr. Anderson (Paul Rudd) and his group of friends.
My synopsis makes the film seem all happy go lucky. But it's not. All the characters go through emotional highs and lows. The film is often very sad and depressing. The performances are great though. Lerman and Miller are the stand-outs for the emotional pain they bring to their roles but Watson is solid too.
The film does meander a bit in the middle and I think that they could have gotten that under control. There are times where I felt that they didn't really know what to do with the more mature stuff from the book (I'll get to that) but I think the fact that you are emotionally invested in the characters makes it all worth it. The stuff at the end is handled fantastically as well.
This is a film aimed at teenagers. Being a teenager, I saw myself in the film and could relate to a lot of the stuff at the beginning of Charlie not fitting in. It is likely that you will see yourself in this film as well, whether it be a small part or a large part of yourself. The Perks of Being A Wallflower is a good film that I think people should go see. It is not a great film but a very good one.
There is one more point I would like to bring up. From what I have read, this was an R-rated book that was turned into a PG-13 movie. There is still drug use, sexual dialogue, language, and hard emotional material but it seems from watching the movie that there was a lot that was toned down. It doesn't lessen the film. I just though I would point that out.
THE FINAL GRADE: B (7.3/10)
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