The Perks of being a Wallflower (2012)

Director:  Stephen Chbosky

 So, The Perks of being a Wallflower was marketed as a modern day answer to the now classic John Hughes films of the Eighties era.  The kind of movie that would give you the inside scoop on high school and show you the TRUTH about the hell that those four years can be.  The story is most certainly a “high school” movie.  A movie about the wounded youth that walk the halls and specifically what has wounded them.  With focus on the wounds themselves and recognizing that there’s much more to deal with than just the bully who knocks the books from your hands or the problem you have in getting up the courage to ask a girl out, the story finds a way to transcend just being another “high school” movie.

First, let me say kudos to Logan Lerman (who plays Charlie, the story’s central character).  This kid is simply terrific in the movie.  His acting is never forced and the honesty in which he embodies the character is fascinating to watch.  This is a guy I’ve seen in Percy Jackson and some other kind of bad movies, but here he delivers a touching, soulful performance.  He’s going to be one to watch, if he stays attached to the right material.  His character, Charlie, is a troubled young man who we know at the outset has had his share of issues. He has no real friends at school when the story begins and the movie centers on the connection he makes with two particular outsiders (he’s a freshman and they are seniors, which is a perfect way to immediately clue you in on the old soul that Charlie has).  They are played by Ezra Miller (also a huge find and I expect to see more of him) and Hermione herself, Emma Watson.  They fit the roles perfectly and individually they do a fantastic job in the film, a very true job of acting such that it seems effortless.

I hate to give away any major plot points so I’ll just try to illustrate as best I can why I think this movie is special.  The film is written and directed by the author of the acclaimed novel on which it is based.  This doesn’t happen that often.  The author was allowed to present his vision on screen and, while I haven’t read the novel yet, it does feel like a writer’s film.  There is specific, choice voiceover and narration through certain points of the film.  I gathered he knew the right words to pluck from his source material. 

My wife and I both felt like the movie took a little bit of time to really get into the story and where it was going, but by the end I think we were both similarly floored.  This can be a common experience when a film is made from a novel.  Novels allow cultivation and take time to expand the story in a way that can come across as slow in a movie.  I won’t say the direction was perfect or any sign of a major filmmaker, but I can say that I felt like he succeeded in delivering a story that feels urgent, personal, and vital. 

We all would probably agree that high school sucks.  The movie takes us far enough into the world to recognize this as a fact, but doesn’t pretend to be the first movie to do so.  The story goes deeper in a way that I was very moved by. 

This one’s a journey and one that I urge you to take.