Movie Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

By Emily Shinault

                I was coerced by a friend into seeing the new film The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and I really wasn’t expecting much. I’ve seen enough teen movies to know that most consist of cliché, whiny, “oh-poor-me” type characters that make me want to kick things and themes stretching no further than “we don’t have to be bound by stereotypes,” which conveniently also make me want to kick things, and, this time, things precious and beautiful. I expected precisely this from Perks, and, well, I was wrong. 

The film is based on Stephen Chbosky’s 1999 novel of the same name. The “dramedy”, adapted and directed by Chbosky himself, centers around Charlie (Logan Lerman), a perpetual loner nervous about beginning his freshmen year of high school. We follow his struggles and inability to make friends until he is befriended by two seniors, Patrick (Ezra Miller) and his step-sister, Sam (Emma Watson). The two outcasts take the teen under their wings (feathered with dubious moral fiber), guiding him through the experiences of high school (in the early 1990’s, of course, and being a teenager in 2012, I had to “LOL” every time a character pulled out a mix-tape or a typewriter). We slowly discover more about Charlie and his troubled past, particularly dealing with his late Aunt Helen, while he becomes closer to Patrick, Sam, and their circle of friends. Charlie develops a crush on Sam; however, she is has an older, college-aged boyfriend.

The film, as a whole was much deeper and more honest than I had expected. Like I said earlier, Perks isn’t a typical, formulaic teen movie. Its characters are much stronger, with the help of its near flawless casting. Though Charlie is painfully awkward, he is lovable, and I truly sympathized with him and wanted the best for him. Best of all, the film tends to make fun of its pretentious characters (I couldn’t help but laugh out loud when a minor character uttered the phrase “poetry writes me”). The film explores the troubles of teen love, friendship, and self-discovery with genuine emotions felt by genuine characters, and I would by a nasty liar if I were to say that I wasn’t nearly in tears towards the end. 

The film, of course, has its flaws. The final half-hour of the film seemed very rushed, one dramatic event smashing into another, as if Chbosky was trying frantically not to leave out a single detail from the book. In addition, the film’s quirky scene transitions were cute at first, but they got quite irritating after a while. When the film cut from Charlie taking communion at church to him popping a club drug at a party, I’d had enough.  

I give this movie a hearty laugh, a box of tissues, and a glam rock mix-tape I made just for you, or simply 3.5 out of 4 stars.