Oh no, not another teen movie. The movie industry has churned emo after angsty film about how kids don’t fit in because they listen to The Smiths or wear cigarette thin skinny jeans. These films often mistake melancholy for complexity and assume that MPDGs (girl or guy) or montage makeovers are instant remedies for social awkwardness. Wallflower does fall victim to some of these tropes, but easily compensates these shortcomings with sincerity and honesty.
The Perks of Being A Wallflower, based off the hit novel (which neither of us have read, so we can’t really speak to it as an adaptation), follow the introverted high school freshman Charlie (Logan Lerman, Percy Jackson, Gamer) through his roller-coaster freshman year. His seclusive and quirky behavior quickly ostracizes him from his classmates. In a rare show of courage, Charlie makes friends with Sam (Emma Watson, Harry Potter films) and Patrick (Ezra Miller, We Need to Talk About Kevin), indoctrinate him into their motley crew of misfits and a life beyond his depression.
Stephen Chbosky takes on triple duty, being the author, screenwriter, and director (his debut no less). The rookie director shows tremendous control and conviction throughout the film, notably through his navigation of different adolescent ambiances. We feel Charlie’s ironic sense of existentially morose isolation in large groups but the same time we feel his invincibility of being able to make ephemeral moments infinite.
The movie wouldn’t be as profound if it didn’t have the acting chops to back it up. The three main stars, notably, all deliver more than solid performances; transforming what could’ve been mundane angst into realized emotions. Lerman and Miller in particular bring depth to their characters that lingers even when they’re off camera. Watson herself dons a pretty passable American accent and rises above the MPDG trope into a fleshed out female character.
Is Wallflower Rebel Without a Cause? No. Is it a John Hughes film? No. There are moments of forced poignancy as well as over pretension. As Ezra Miller’s character points out “My life is officially an afterschool special.” And yes, you will feel this way. But even the rather minor infuriations help elucidate not only adolescence, but our condition as well. We profess our affection for obscure bands to feel unique, or over inflate instances to give our life significance. But these imperfections help us grow and in the case of Wallower, helps it blossom. So yes, there are definitely perks to seeing Wallflower.
Pulp Diction 