Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

When speaking on Chbosky’s coming-of-age centerpiece, I’ll assume that many feel as sentimental about it as I do. It resounded with me, simultaneously feeling like a deeply personal diary of a real high school student and a retelling of my own life in the context of a more dramatic background. It felt less like a novel and more like a practical doctrine preaching “It Get’s Better” for all of those existing on the outskirts of the in-crowd. I was hesitantly enthusiastic about a film adaptation because too much could go wrong, whether the story becomes commercialized or loses sentimentality amidst an afterschool special presentation. The worst possible result was also the most likely one, which the film would be a hollow regurgitation of Chbosky’s dialogue without any of the heart that made it stick.

 I feel that the value of a well-crafted coming-of-age film is undervalued. As Charlie touches upon towards the end of the film, the teenage struggle may seem retrospectively ineffective, small struggles in the grand scheme of our lives, but in the moment they are pressing. For a film to be able to not only competently embody the afflictions of the high school student but make us feel them again is spectacular. Perks of Being a Wallflower deftly uses Charlie as a channel for our own pain and reminds the viewer of how extraordinarily real those feelings were in the moment and how said emotions could devastate. Each struggle that Charlie goes through feels so sincere and fluid, bringing freshman year vividly back into the frontal lobe of the viewer.

Not all the material is heavy, though. Perks invites us to share in the emotional vivacity of growing up, including its soaring peaks and subtle triumphs. The film, like any good teen movie, has standout moments that are celebratory and epic despite being grounded in relatively unextraordinary circumstances. Perks reminds us that our own lives can be cinematic and resounding despite not being peppered with unorthodox circumstances. Ordinary struggle is, when properly conveyed, just as magnificent as the most elaborate epic.

Special attention should be placed on Chbosky ably shaping the protagonists as rounded, complex individuals attended to appropriately. Charlie, Patrick and Sam all face different afflictions but are given appropriate attention to sympathize and fall in love with them. Regardless of whether or not we have gone through the experiences of the characters, we sympathize and identify with them thanks to incredible casting decisions and calculated character development. I admittedly fell head over heels for the eccentric scatterbrain Patrick (Ezra Miller), who exudes charm from the film’s get-go; it’s entirely understandable why Charlie is drawn to his bounding energy. Emma Watson brings fragility and naivety to the not-so-innocent Sam, a girl trying desperately to overcome her dark past. Last but not least is Logan Lerman as Charlie, fidgety and insecure but heartbreakingly adorable from the first to final frame of the film. He has solidified himself not only as a leading man but an all-too competent young actor with potential for longevity and diversity. I wouldn’t count Lerman out as a potential Oscar nominee- he maintains an Asperger’s  social alienation perfectly while attempting to break the barrier and let his friends understand how complex he is.

This generation needed a teen movie that spoke to the difficulty of alienation and depression whilst coming to terms with one’s identity. The 80’s had John Hughes, the 90’s had American Pie, we had Mean Girls to faun over for years, but no one has really taken the time to popularize the difference between teen angst and teen depression. Considering the onslaught of teen suicide and high school massacres, it’s about time someone acknowledged that certain struggles aren’t staples of growing up but are made worse when compounded with the complexities of development. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, like the book that preceded it, is an instant classic in it’s own right. It isn’t perfect; I had trouble being convinced that the characters were 14-17, and certain background characters felt underdeveloped. Nonetheless, during the pivotal scene in which Charlie proclaims, “in that moment, I swear we were infinite”, the film not only shows these kids feeling alive and free. As I sat in that theater, I swear, I felt infinite with the characters on-screen; reliving that breath-taking youthful spirit of just being in the moment. The movie’s ability to recreate that feeling is a marvel in itself.

Grade: A-