Movie Review: 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'

Coming-of-age high school movies are a cliché in and of itself. So for a film to take that subject matter on without any real plot to back it up – and for it to feel like a movie we’ve never seen before – is quite a remarkable feat alone. But “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” isn’t just new and fresh; it’s filled with a zestful spirit that can’t help but fill you with sentimental longing for days and years gone by.

Based off of the incredibly popular 1999 novel of the same name, “Perks” is narrated by Charlie (Logan Lerman); he’s a shy and introverted high school freshman, and very much a loner. That is, until two eccentric seniors, Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), take him under their wing and invite him into their group of friends, helping Charlie navigate through the often tumultuous waves of high school.

The author of the novel, Stephen Chbosky, also wrote and directed the movie. It’s evident how much he loves these characters, and it’s a love that doesn’t get lost in translation. This is, by all means, a perfect book-to-film adaptation; nothing of importance is sacrificed, and in some cases things are even improved upon in their transition to the big screen. The movie deals with some pretty intense and controversial issues, such as mental illness, suicide, and sexual abuse, but in Chbosky’s hands, everything is handled gracefully, with tact, and just the right amount of emotion. Thankfully, the movie never veers into after school special mode, something it could have very easily done. Chbosky resists the urge to lecture us, or treat the audience like children – and it’s precisely that that makes both his novel, and the film version, something that easily connects with people of all ages.

This isn’t a teen movie, it’s not begging for the adoration of the “Twilight” young adult crowd – it’s a movie that takes its high school setting and uses it to appeal to your nostalgia. We watch Charlie go to his first party, get high for the first time, go on his first date, experience his first kiss. And it works so well because while it can’t help but take you back to the first time you yourself experienced all of those things, it’s more than that -- you just really want to tirelessly root for Charlie every single step of the way.

In fact, the characters – and how much we grow to love and care about those characters – is the heart and soul of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Logan Lerman’s Charlie is incredibly awkward and innocent, but that’s part of what makes him such a sweet, endearing character right from the get-go. Lerman has this sort of face, his eyes in particular, that pull you in because they’re just so filled with emotion. Throughout the movie, I constantly found myself going “awww” out loud…a verbal slip I can only attribute to the fact that I was just so damn invested in the growing relationship between Charlie, Sam, and Patrick that I couldn’t help myself. I wanted – needed – these characters to be happy in the end.

As Charlie’s new best friends, Watson and Miller shine. Miller proves just how much range he has, making the huge jump from playing a murderous teenager in last year’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin” to the flamboyant, lovable, and hilarious Patrick. Playing his stepsister Sam, Emma Watson takes on her first big post-Potter role with maturity, proving she’s more than just the clever witch we all know her as. This is Watson like you’ve never seen her before; she radiates confidence and sex appeal (in one scene, we see her decked out in lingerie, playing Janet in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”), and she showcases a sort of loose, free-spirit vibe that makes it entirely evident why Charlie is so drawn to her.

Set in the early 90s, one of the most memorable aspects of the film is the wonderfully hip soundtrack, filled with tracks from artists such as The Smiths and Sonic Youth. In what is surely predestined to become the film’s most iconic scene, Patrick races his pick-up truck through a tunnel while Sam stands up on the truck bed, screaming with her arms in the air while David Bowie’s “Heroes” so fittingly plays in the background. And it’s that very scene that captures the true essence of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” It’s a film that’s tender, heartfelt, and even a little sad…but more than anything, it’ll make you feel infinite.

Rating: A