SYNOPSIS: A sensitive teenager learns to navigate the soaring highs and perilous lows of adolescence in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a powerful and affecting coming-of-age story based on the wildly popular young adult novel by Stephen Chbosky. Starring Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Emma Watson (the Harry Potter franchise) and Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin, Another Happy Day),The Perks of Being a Wallflower captures the complexities of growing up with uncommon grace, humor and compassion.

It's 1991 and academically precocious, socially awkward Charlie (Logan Lerman) is a wallflower, always watching from the sidelines, until a pair of charismatic seniors take him under their wing. Beautiful, free-spirited Sam (Emma Watson) and her fearless stepbrother, Patrick (Ezra Miller), shepherd Charlie through new friendships, first love, burgeoning sexuality, bacchanalian parties, midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the quest for the perfect song. At the same time, his English teacher, Mr. Anderson (Paul Rudd) introduces him to the world of literature, sparking his dreams of becoming a writer.

But even as Charlie thrives in his new, more grown-up world, the pain of his past—which includes, his best friend Michael's recent suicide and the accidental death of a beloved aunt—lurks just below the surface. As his older friends plan to leave home for college, Charlie's precarious equilibrium begins to crumble, and at the root of his sadness is a shocking revelation.

REVIEW:  

Sam: Why do I and everyone I love pick people who treat us like we're nothing? 
Charlie: We accept the love we think we deserve. 

One of the most intense struggles/desires for practically any human being on this planet is to be accepted and loved. This film dives deep into that and so much more via a fresh presentation of a somewhat typical story. This is not just another teen movie. This one is dramatic and romantic, deep and real. The performances really give this film more of an edge. I can imagine that many of you are very curious to see Emma Watson in a more grown up role, post-Potter. Well I can tell you that she shines quite nicely. I personally think she’s an angel, literally. She undoubtedly has a bright future ahead in film if she so desires. My only negative comment is that every now and then her British accent seemed to want to break through. Besides that, she was perfect for this role. The real star of the show, however, is Logan Lerman. You might not recognize him at first (at least I didn’t) but once you see his filmography you will get a much better idea of who this guy is. He is definitely no stranger to the big screen and the kid has talent. He carried the movie well and did a great job of giving life to his character. Granted, he is surrounded by a pretty good cast. One such cast member is Ezra Miller, playing the third musketeer in this band of misfits. He also delights with a strong performance. These performances fill in the shoes of some characters that would normally be cliché for this genre. The distinction is the traumatic experiences some of them have had which give them more depth. It’s easy to feel for these characters which is a big part of what movie making is all about. This film does not have much of a plot, per se, so it relies more on the characters and the performances to carry the weight and they do just that. Well it also doesn’t hurt to have a strong reference to the Rocky Horror Picture Show which I know Priscilla would have loved and reminisced. There is another very special treat in regards to this movie and it deals with the director. It’s not everyday that you see the author of a novel become the director of that novel’s film. I think that by having the author direct it would eliminate the debate as to the movie being true to its novel. In this case, we have Stephen Chbosky who has given us a good novel and its equally good audio/visual version. Not bad for only his second time out.

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