Spoiler Level: 88
Author of the novel, screenplay, and director: Stephen Chbosky
Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller
Spoiler Level: Very Minor
“born entirely from the mind of a single dedicated storyteller”
The Perks of Being a Wallflower has the same cast of cliche high school characters and school-year moments of dozens of other narratives in its genre, but it veers away from the formula enough for me to have felt absorbed in the story, appreciating the times when it’s unique. Its ideas don’t align flawlessly with my notions of friendship, love, education, and growing up, but I could tell throughout that The Perks of Being a Wallflower is born entirely from the mind of a single dedicated storyteller, in this case Stephen Chbosky. Whenever I can tell that, I feel I can respect the creator’s perspectives. It’s so much more rewarding an experience to watch such content than the camels that most films become in Hollywood’s wretched studio system.
Among other things, the film explores the feelings of underclassmen when their older best friends and love interests go off to college. Such content resonated with me. I think that I could have watched three hours of character development with these friends before sitting through the inevitability of their separation. Such are the circumstances of the lives of young people, and for however often high school films are made, it’s rare I feel this inescapable conflict is actually meaningfully addressed. So even without the themes of abuse and loss and social ostracism, of finding your way and your place among those that care about you, The Perks of Being a Wallflower would have earned my respect simply for bravely approaching a conflict I remember strongly even now in my late twenties.
Charlie’s combination of young-wisdom and slight awkwardness is endearing and has you rooting for him the whole way. I like the others as well, though it could be that I simply want to marry Emma Watson. Ah, I can see the headline now: Harry Potter look-alike marries Hermione. The film has enough entertaining moments to earn its serious ones. Like many good stories, it left me pensive, and wishing I’d had more time with it.