The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Earlier this year I read the novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Steven Chbosky. I absolutely loved it and immediately saw the movie afterwards. A word of advice that I will tell to anyone seeing a movie adaptation of any book: READ THE BOOK FIRST!  Especially for Perks because in my opinion, the book is better, but I still recommend the movie 100%.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower based on the novel by Steven Chboksy and directed by him as well, tells the story of a shy freshman named Charlie(Logan Lerman) taken under the wings of two seniors, Sam(Emma Watson) and Patrick(Ezra Miller) who welcome him to the real world.

I really liked how the movie was directed by author too. Many movie adaptations turn out much different from their basis, but with the author directing, there’s no room for flaws! The casting was excellent in the film. Logan Lerman was sensational as Charlie! A word about Charlie: I love him so much. He’s the kind of character that you just wanna give a hug to and is so likeable. I thought Lerman did a great job of this and portrayed him just as the book did. Emma Watson was surprisingly good as the free-spirited Sam. I was hesitant of her casting at first because I couldn’t picture her as anyone but Hermoine Granger. However, she breaks out of her Harry Potter shell and is unrecognizable. Ezra Miller also was great as the humorous and giddy Patrick. Their friendship was heartfelt and gives hope to any lonely kid that there are friends out there waiting for you.

The movie;however, did leave out many scenes, including some of the really important ones. I wished it was longer because I felt that  it sped along almost too quickly. Also, Charlie’s relationships with some people were not that developed as they were in the book. Paul Rudd plays Charlie’s English teacher Mr. Anderson, who by the way did a great job. Their friendship was not focused on as much and felt very distant. Also in the film, as Mr. Anderson gives Charlie his first book to read, Charlie is seen putting it on his bedroom shelf. I kind of wished this continued throughout the movie so that at the end, the audience could have seen all the books Charlie had read. Just a thought.  In addition to, the portrayal of teenage issues, including drug use and alcohol, seemed idolized, and the suicide of Charlie’s best friend(NOT A SPOILER) seemed glossed over even though the event counts for many of Charlie’s actions and feelings in  the film.

The climax of the movie was done exceptionally well. The music, the camera movement, and Lerman’s emotional performance gave the scene so much more height and suspense. The flashbacks of his Aunt Helen throughout the film were smart, and Charlie and Sam’s relationship and chemistry was really cute. Again, I love Charlie. Perks of Being a Wallflower was a good, but did have its flaws.

ALL IN ALL: Perks is an excellent adaptation of the book and includes outstanding performances by its lead cast.

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