Movie Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Plot: Charlie is a shy teenager without friends that has just joined the high-school. He misses his best friend, who had committed suicide, and he writes letters to an imaginary friend telling his feelings. Further, Charlie has a mental illness problem in his past. Soon Charlie befriends the veterans Patrick, who is gay, and his stepsister Sam and they become best friends. Charlie wants to be a writer and he also becomes the favorite student of his teacher of literature, Mr. Anderson, who lends him books. Sam and Patrick introduce Charlie to their friends and Charlie falls in love with Sam, but he does not have self-confidence to date her. Charlie discovers a new world and feels happy with his friends, and he dates their common friend Mary Elizabeth. But when they end their relationship, Patrick asks Charlie to stay away from them for a while and soon he triggers his mental illness again. He goes to the hospital where a doctor finally discloses the origin of his problem. (Courtesy of IMDB)

Based on the novel written by Stephen Chbosky, who also directs, Perks is a true coming-of-age movie for the current generation of teens. Dealing with love, alcohol, courage, school, friends, being an outcast, and pretty much problems that everybody deals with at one time or another, yet, Perks does this in a way that many movies in this genre cannot. The audience can truly connect with every character on the screen, because everything they go through, we've been through ourselves. The movie is perfectly cast and acted. Logan Lerman shines as the main character Charlie, fulfilling the awkwardness that is necessary for the role. Many of the supporting actors, including Ezra Miller as Patrick and Paul Rudd as Mr. Anderson, also fully encompass their roles and have just the right combination of humor and relate-ability. The true star, however, in this movie is of course the beautiful Emma Watson as Sam. In her first major role since the Harry Potter films, Emma Watson has really proved herself as an actress and not just as the girl who played Hermione Granger. She deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress, but the movie and the role didn't stand a chance going up against powerhouses like Les Mis or The Master. Another great aspect of the movie was the writing. The screenplay was fresh and new, just like the novel it was based on, and allows for a movie that young adults to finally relate to. Overall, a great film that will become a "cult hit" not far from now. It truly allows for any audience member to relate due to its strong themes of love, peer pressure, and self-discovery. 

"We accept the love we think we deserve." 

Rating: A