The Perks of Being a Wallflower
So yeah, I was running around trying to find a good movie to watch, and lo and behold I find this unexpected gem chilling out in the Red Box. I had heard of it before and wanted to see it mostly because of who was in it. Little did I know that I had just stumbled upon what I know consider one of my favorite movies of all time.
So you have Charlie (Logan Lerman). He's just starting high school and he's already counting down the days until graduation. Over a thousand. He doesn't have any friends and spends the beginning of his high school career being bullied around and used for homework copying. It's depressing and you can't help but already root for this kid. And you're only ten minutes into the movie. That's an incredible story-writing feat. But then meets a senior, Patrick, (or "Nothing" as many have begun to call him) in his freshman shop class. Patrick doesn't want to pick on the freshman; he instead pokes fun at the shop teacher. Charlie really appreciates this. At a home football game later on, he chooses to sit with the very enthusiastic Patrick (played by the newcomer Ezra Miller). And in this fateful night, Patrick's step-sister, Sam (played the the ever-stunning Emma Watson), joins them. Charlie is immediately blown away by her presence and her personality. This duo introduces him to the "island of misfit toys" and thus begins Charlie's road to adulthood and maturity. He is now able to navigate the trials of adolescence with a group of loyal and supportive friends. But don't think that the happy ending of this movie happens twenty minutes in. Ever trying to suppress memories of a dark and emotional past, Charlie's mental and emotional well-being are constantly in threat as he takes on the emotional weight of the past and the troubles his friends and sister (played the also-newcomer Nina Dobrev) are going through. It's something that would be too much for anyone to bear. But don't worry, fellow viewers and readers, there are perks to being a wallflower.
Seriously, sitting down and trying to critique this film was no easy task. Where some people and critics have found flaws, I've understood the route that writer/director, Steven Chbosky, took with this adaptation of his novel. There are confusing flashes of memories, but that is all explained later on. The last fifteen minutes almost fly by in a sort of montage, but for reasons that I dare not spoil, it makes sense considering we're in Charlie's point of view the entire film. You'd think a plot point and relationship was just glossed over and passed by, but it's something Charlie probably doesn't want to fully remember anyway. It all makes sense once you think about it.
There are many areas that Chbosky did right and executed masterfully. The way it was shot and how close were to everything that was going on made it feel really personal. The emotions were palpable in some scenes and at times very relatable. It was easy to fall into the narrative of the film because of how realistically it was written. Chbosky was able to capture the very essence of high school without every getting too cliche. This made the entire film feel real. And that's honestly the best word I can think of to describe it: real. The characters themselves also felt this way. I could picture all of them: Charlie, Sam, Patrick, Mary Elisabeth (played by the talented Mae Whitman)...like they were real people. Chbosky is an excellent writer and that's why his film (and novel) worked. His directing perfectly portrayed what it's like inside Charlie's head and his life. We are able to understand the flashes and the troubles without too much confusion. Chobsky also allowed time for the supporting characters to really grow and develop. I mean the adults were are really flat characters, but it's not their story. It's the teens' story. I can't really fault this movie for neglecting the adult characters.
And now, if you want my honest and to-the-point opinion: go see this movie like now! The writing, the production, the acting of this film was incredible. Everything worked, everything clicked: from the cast to the story to the plot twists...it's all there. This was one of the best films I've seen in recent years.
I don't even want to my scoring thing because everything is going to get a 10 out of 10 with this film. A+
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