The movie is based on a novel written by its director,
Stephen Chbosky.
Being a movie based on a book, I can't comment of how this movie stays true to the book since i haven't read the novel. Nonetheless this is an enjoyable movie to see.
The cast is top-billed by
Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief) and
Emma Watson (Harry Potter Series) and
Ezra Miller. In supporting roles are Paul Rudd and Dylan Mcdermott. (for a complete list of the cast click
here).
The story is a narrative of an incoming highschool freshman trying to avoid the usual bullying and other school stuff. But this is not your typical coming-of-age story where the protagonist discovers himself thru life experiences and all that jazz. Set in the early 1990's, the story peers into the life of Charlie, a seemingly normal teenager with the typical teenager problem.
A funny and touching coming-of-age story based on the beloved
best-selling novel by Stephen Chbosky, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
is a modern classic that captures the dizzying highs and crushing lows
of growing up. Starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller, THE
PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER is a moving tale of love, loss, fear and
hope—and the unforgettable friends that help us through life. - http://perks-of-being-a-wallflower.com/story.html
Trying to decide whether lay low or try just fit in, Charlie sticks to the wall, hoping not to be crushed by the upperclassmen. He meets Patrick (Ezra Miller), a senior, in his freshman shop class. Patrick takes him into his circle and the story unfolds from there.
From the title and the synopsis, this may look like a chick-flick. Well, it sorta is - it has no exploding cars, no action-packed, gun-toting fight scenes... none.
It's a nice movie. It touches on some pretty heavy emotional and psychological stuff that normal teenagers do go thru, but really try to push to the back of their minds.
What's more interesting is how Emma Watson fared post-Harry Potter. She was good in the HP series. She was
good in this movie. Her character, Sam's backstory was merely narrated and thrown in some conversations, nonetheless she was able to portray a broken girl quite well. But then, she's not the lead.
Logan Lerman's Percy Jackson was supposed to follow suit to HP's fame. (The second installation of the Percy Jackson series is set to be released sometime next year.) With only that (and The Three Mucketeers) under his belt, it wasn't that hard to separate his character from Wallflower from Percy Jackson. Logan played Charlie exceptionally well - oddly introverted, awkward but was able to keep a lid on what's bubbling inside him quite well.
Ezra Miller's character and his portrayal of it was superb. Patrick is likable, funny - the makings of a popular kid- but compassionate and warm. It wasn't surprising though, that his character turned out to be gay.
What's sad is that most teens / pre-adults will miss out on this movie. It doesn't have that teeny-bopper appeal of most movies in this genre.
The whole experience can actually be summed up in one of the lines said in the movie:
"Welcome to the island of misfit toys"
Definitely a date movie.
Haters gonna hate but that doesn't make this any less of a good movie. The intro was way too long though.
