In trying to capture the youthful joy, unfiltered heartbreak and chaotic drama that stream throughout high school, “The perks of being a wallflower” succeeds exceptionally. Don’t be fooled by the trailer, which depicts the cliché story that every high school drama and Sarah Dessen book has already nailed; this movie goes deep into concepts that anyone can encounter, not just teenagers. Told through letters that the main character Charlie, played by actor Logan Lerman, writes to an unknown “friend,” the movie elicits powerful emotions and promises an experience well worth the price of a movie ticket.
Director Stephen Chobsky, who wrote the best-selling novel ten years ago, couldn’t have gotten luckier with the actors that brought his characters to life. Emma Watson, best known for her role as Hermione in the “Harry Potter” series, plays Sam, the beautiful, enigmatic character that Charlie falls in love with. In spite of the inherent differences between Sam and Hermione, Watson manages to delve deeply into this passionate, slightly troubled character, without the slightest touch of her British accent. She and her vivacious stepbrother Patrick, played by Ezra Miller from “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” serve as the perfect foils to Charlie’s introverted personality. It is through their friendship that Charlie gains the ability to evolve into a person who is not haunted by the fear and blackouts that his past brought on.
Then, of course, there’s the plot. While many other movies have attempted to send the message about the effects that your first kiss, first relationship and first experience with drugs can have on you, none of these convey it quite the way that “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” does. Charlie’s clairvoyance adds a sense of maturity to his character that is hard to find in most high school freshmen. He feels too deeply and loves too passionately, but somehow finds himself in the labyrinth that is high school. The movie just barely fits into its PG-13 boundaries, as it tackles concepts that might be too series for some viewers. However, that is not to say that it is all austereness all the time. There are moments of pure exuberance that cause the audience to feel just as “infinite” as the characters do. They are found in Charlie, Sam and Patrick’s ride through the tunnel, in the look on Charlie’s face when Sam leans in to kiss him, in the fact that Charlie is welcomed into a group of friends not because he is like them, but particularly because he is different. Welcome to the island of misfit toys.
After an ending that promises dropped jaws and even a few tears, one must reluctantly leave the theater with the voice of Charlie still ringing through his or her ears. High school is one of those rare moments in life where we can simply take in a moment, pure and raw, without the responsibility that the future promises; to make friends, make mistakes and to create a story worth telling. Charlie’s heartfelt tale about rejection, loss and friendship helps shape our own perspective of the three. Whether we are the wallflower, the risk taker, the control freak or the simply undefined, there is a place for us lurking beyond our own self-doubts. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” tells the story of one person finding that place, leaving viewers with the inspiration to find their own.
