“Perks of Being a Wallflower,” the highly anticipated indie book-turned-film premiered at select theaters on September 21 and all theaters on October 12. The popular tale stars Logan Lerman as 15-year old introverted “wallflower” Charlie, Emma Watson as carefree and lighthearted Sam, Ezra Miller as the flawed best friend Patrick, and Nina Dobrev as the troubled older sister Candace.
The “Perks” book was written by Stephen Chbosky in 1999, and has skyrocketed in popularity over the years. The coming-of-age story is set early in 1990’s and revolves around a naïve freshman named Charlie who struggles to fit in. Instead of living his own life, he stands by and watches everyone else’s life progress. He describes himself as a “wallflower.” The book consists of journal entries written by Charlie throughout the course of one year. Every entry begins with “Dear friend” and ends with the words “Love, Charlie.”
This school year, Charlie wants to take control of his own life, and along with the help of two eccentric seniors, Sam and Patrick, he does just that. The story shows Charlie grow from being awkward and unpopular to being happy and confident. The audience is taken along for the ride as Charlie experiences first love and real friends. During his high school adventure, he also learns about gay relationships, drugs abuse and physically and sexually abusive relationships.
As the film unravels, the audience realizes Charlie is a troubled character, who may be autistic, bipolar, and depressed. Charlie often makes references in his journal about his fears of getting “bad again.” In the end, the film reveals Charlie’s reasons for his disturbed personality.
The acting in this film is phenomenal. The three main stars, Lerman, Watson and Miller, each shine in their own ways. Lerman, best known from the films “The Butterfly Effect,” Hoot” and “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief,” has the natural personality to make his character believable. Watson, who is famous for her role of Hermione in the “Harry Potter” films, sheds her old character stereotype and proves that she can play characters other than a bookworm and a know-it-all. Despite her British roots, Watson’s American accent is relatively convincing in this film. Breakout star Miller is a definite film favorite as he provides hilarious comic relief in the movie. His witty remarks and flamboyant personality make his character feel real and that much more likable.
The long-awaited “Perks of Being a Wallflower” surpasses dedicated fans’ expectations and has done extremely well with ratings from both critics and the viewers. Rotten Tomatoes, a website dedicated to rating and reviewing movies, rated the film 85 percent fresh, while the audience rated it 95 percent, surpassing the ratings for the phenomenon “The Hunger Games.”
“Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a truly original, one-of-a-kind story and can be highly relatable to many students struggling with emotionally scarring problems. Charlie and his friends show through their misadventures that sometimes, in order to be happy, it takes a few wrong turns. This “infinite” story is definitely one that will be hard to forget.
