Review! The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) Directed by Stephen Chbosky. Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller. IMDB says: ”An introvert freshman is taken under the wings of two seniors who welcome him to the real world. ”
I went into this film with zero expectations because I hadn’t heard much about it. I knew it was a book, but I never read it. I saw Emma Watson dancing on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon in promotion of the film, but still had no real inkling of what the film was about. I hadn’t yet seen a preview, but by putting context clues together, I assumed it would be a high school drama in the vein of Charlie Bartlett or Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. While The Perks of Being a Wallflower has some of those qualities, the film is in a class all it’s own.
The film is about Charlie. He’s starting high school and he doesn’t really have any friends. He goes through the school days quiet and to himself, until he meets Patrick and Sam, who take him in as one of their own. He goes through your typical perils of a high school teen, but Charlie’s are a bit different. He has a murky past that he tries to hide, but when it comes to life, it starts to effect not only him, but his friends too. If I say much more I’ll spoil some plot points, even though some are predictable, so I’ll leave my synopsis where it is. Okay I’ll add just a snippet more: I was VERY excited and happy to see some Rocky Horror Picture Show-esque shenanigans.
The introductions of the characters feel like real life introductions. There are times when Charlie (Logan Lerman) is hesitant to meet someone new or is awkwardly thrust into a conversation with someone new, and all of it is relatable. We’ve all been in those situations before and we’ve seen these scenes in film before, but none feel so natural like the introductions and interactions in this film. What helps build that chemistry and relatable interaction is the fantastic performances by Emma Watson (her American accent is pretty solid), Logan Lerman, and an incredible Ezra Miller, who adds a flamboyant flexibility and emotional cadence to his role, creating one of my new favorite film characters. The supporting cast is packed with familiar favorites like Paul Rudd, Tom Savini, Mae Whitman, Johnny Simmons, Dylan McDermott, Nicholas Braun, and Joan Cusack, who all give great performances, no matter how big or small their role happens to be. The soundtrack is very awesome. Michael Brook has a great score that emotionally compliments the many songs in this film by artists such as David Bowie, The Smiths, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Cracker, Galaxie 500, and Sonic Youth. Even if you don’t see the film, the soundtrack is worth picking up.
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