"The Perks of Being A Wallflower" Review

"The Perks of Being A Wallflower"

Directed by Stephen Chbosky

Starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Dylan McDermott, Paul Rudd

 

RATING

9/10

 

"We accept the love we think we deserve."

"The Perks of Being A Wallflower" is an odd film, not because it plays against plenty of Hollywood's silly tropes of the coming-of-age tale, but because it has something that the others do not: a surprising amount of substance. I had no expectations watching this film last night other than the fact that it starred a few familiar faces and was based off a book. And what I got in return was a truly memorable, emotionally drenching film.

 

The film tells the story of Charlie, a socially despondent and shy teenager just starting his freshman year in High School. He has trouble making friends in the beginning, and gets bullied a lot. Then he meets a pair of care-free and exciting step-siblings, Patrick and Sam, and his world is changed forever as he is introduced to the underbelly of society and the perks that come with being the nice guy.

 

First of all, the performances are fantastic. Logan Lerman has come a long way from Percy Jackson, and this just proves how diverse of an actor he really is. I thought I would end up hating his character, Charlie, because I didn't like him in Percy Jackson, but it astounded me at how much I connected with him. Emma Watson as Sam does a good job playing the social good girl with bad choices, and has great chemisty with Charlie. Paul Rudd is also in a few short scenes, playing the English teacher Mr. Anderson, though his presence doesn't go unnoticed as he delivers some of the most memorable lines in the entire film. The standout of the entire film is Ezra Miller as Patrick, the ecstatic and charismatic best friend, who proves his worth from the colourful backstory he is given. It's extraordinary for Miller to go from the totally insane and unapproachable Kevin in his last film, to a happy-go-lucky Patrick in this. If anything, it's proof how much range he has as an actor, and I really do think it's Oscar worthy. The strongest aspect of the film is the script, too. The film was written and directed by the same man, Stephen Chbosky, who also wrote the book, so he knew his source material backwards and understood what needed to be shown and how it needed to be framed. The film is directed beautifully. For some reason, it just has that David Fincher vibe, but not as heavy or dark as his films. And at other times, it felt like a John Hughes movie in that it presented adolescence in a compelling and innocent way.

 

The force of the film that will hook anyone is the array of vibrant characters, from the socially awkward to the homosexual. It caters to plenty of demographics who went through high school and experienced some forms of hardships and a sense of belonging. I resonated so much emotionally with Charlie because I was also the weird, quiet kid in high school who kept to himself and would say or do anything for somebody to recognize me, even if it meant going against my morality. Through his eyes, I felt taken along for the ride just as he did, and went through all the ups and downs of being part of a society, including love and heartache, one of the biggest themes of the film, portrayed so passionately and subtly by Lerman and Watson. It's a clever trick that the script hypnotizes you into believing, and thanks to the brooding direction, it's a very realistic world you can throw yourself into. What's also great about the script and characters is how much substance it has. These characters aren't just one-dimensional and wither away or are instantly forgotten. They are all so fleshed out and have several layers to them. It's what makes the chemistry between the cast work so beautifully together, in the ways they can relate to each other's pain and turmoil because they've felt and been through something similar. Basically, it's the embodiment of a perfect depiction of the adolescent youth, and possibly one of the best films I've ever seen that touches upon it's jarring subject matters.

 

I really can't think of anything really negative to say about this movie. I loved it. "The Perks of Being A Wallflower" is a unique coming-of-age story filled with plenty of philosophy and fluorescent adolescence (come at me, Arctic Monkeys fans). It boasts a strong, charismatic and emotionally layered cast of characters, a heartfelt script, and reminiscent, often quite dark themes. For anyone who likes movies where you can invest yourself completely for 2 hours and be drawn into the life of self-discovery, I recommend you go this, one of the best films of 2012.