Thursday, October 18, 2012

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012)



Nervous and scared, Charlie (Logan Lerman) prepares to start his first day of high school. As a reclusive outcast, Charlie is relentlessly bullied and picked-on, and Charlie can’t escape flashbacks of his aunt’s tragic death. Charlie receives some encouragement from his English teacher,  Mr. Anderson (Paul Rudd), and when two seniors befriend him, Charlie slowly breaks out of his shell. Sam (Emma Watson) and her wild step-brother, Patrick (Ezra Miller) invite Charlie into their circle of friends, but a series of bizarre setbacks and changes sends Charlie into a downward spiral.

Stephen Chbosky is the author for The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, he wrote the adapted screenplay, and he‘s the director for this film. As a director, Stephen Chbosky’s style is pretty basic. Chbosky‘s directing is nothing special, but The Perks Of Being A Wallflower deserves credit for impressive visuals, because the gloomy cinemotragphy is simply mesmerizing.

Logan Lerman is a solid leading man. Charlie is a troubled and lonely outcast searching for acceptance, and Lerman provides a believable performance for this character. Erza Miller is hilarious as Patrick. Patrick is easily the most confident character in this film, but at times, Patrick is vulnerable, and Miller adapted to Patrick’s emotional side. Emma Watson showed signs of talent here. Watching a non-Hermione Granger performance from Watson feels weird, but Watson is convincing as Sam.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower is a sincere film about high school life. Wallflower highlights the ups and downs of the teenage years, while providing emotional stories of self-discovery. It’s a heartfelt drama, and the young cast delivers a nice set of strong performances (especially Miller and Lerman). Plus, Wallflower is more than capable of providing some nostalgia, as you reminisce about the good old days in high school. 

Final Rating: 8/10

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