The Perks of Being a Wallflower

While most people tend to argue that a movie version of a book can never live up to the expectations of the written piece, I would have to disagree for the film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Perhaps it may be that Chbosky, author of the novel, acted as director of the film as well, sticking closely to the intended storyline. Perhaps it just may be that Chbosky's ideas are easier with which to identify when displayed by way of moving picture, as he enters into the life of a freshman boy named Charlie and explores the mind of a mentally disturbed high school kid through various themes made possible through the film's excellent casting. (Especially Emma Watson because....duh, Emma Watson.)

 

One of the main themes of this film is the search for belonging among high school students. While this idea may be addressed in many modern day films, not one quite compares to Chbosky's realistic view about a freshman boy at a large public school. Chbosky's blunt displays of high school life such as drugs, sex, and friend drama leave viewers feeling raw as they are able to live through the life of Charlie, the "wallflower" himself, who observes each of these aspects of his young adult life with an innocent mind. Because of this, I think that Logan Lerman who plays the role of Charlie does a fantastic job of creating this feeling in the mind of the viewer. In this way, I would highly recommend this movie to high school students as it allows them to view high school and even the essence of living in a different way. 

Another main theme of Perks is the acceptance of individuality as shown through most of the main characters in the movie. Almost every character in the film has a secret to hide, yet almost all of them are able to trust Charlie with those secrets, allowing viewers to have a greater picture as to the reasoning behind each person's actions, such as the secretively homosexual football player who uses derogatory terms to harass his boyfriend in front of the school to hide his true feelings. This scene particularly packs a punch as Chbosky pulls you into the story of both of these boys, making you feel sorry for Patrick, the boyfriend played by Ezra Miller, no matter your view on homosexual relationships. In this way, it opens the minds of viewers and asks them to be more accepting of individuals--a concept that we can all take to heart. 

 

Because of this excellent casting and these characters abilities to outdo the emotion portrayed through the written version of Perks, I would give this movie a 8/10 and highly recommend it. Because I went into this movie already thinking I would hate it because of how much I loved the book, I definitely think that it also acts as a major eye-opener to the power of film in evoking emotion.