"The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" Review

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I am uncomfortable. My stomach pangs in the way it does when you’re forced to face the truth, either when you have to confess to stealing a toy car or when you hold the girl you’ve been seeing for a couple months and for the first time, her kisses taste bitter, and you realize they’ve always been bitter. Watching “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” made me uncomfortable.

The movie stars Logan Lerman as Charlie Kelmeckis, a shy, lonely teenager about to start his freshman year of high school. He wants to start fresh and improve his standing, along the way finding friendship, first loves, and the glory that is the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

As an audience member to Charlie's story, I noticed he’s a character whose experiences are so particular, yet completely understandable. It doesn’t take me having to stand up in the bed of a truck or leaning against the wall at a school dance to understand every single feeling he has. I relate to every twinge of regret, loneliness, bliss, and innocence. That’s the gift of a great narrator: they take their shoes off and somehow find the way to make your feet fit in them perfectly.

Whether I read the book or in this case, the movie, his innocence always astounds me. He starts as someone who has seen so much a 9^th grader shouldn’t have seen, but yet carries the weight blindly. He knows nothing about how to interpret the events in his life and how to fit them in the puzzle of his own. As the movie progresses, he meets the stepbrother/sister duo of Patrick and Sam (Ezra Miller and Emma Watson), who begin to help him fit the pieces in together, beginning with the piece of Charlie himself. Charlie learns to become as much an active part of his life as he is an observer or an intellectual. As much as he plans and reflects on his experiences and reactions, through Patrick and Sam’s inclusion into their friendship and the events that follow, he learns to remain connected and become comfortable with living his life as it’s happening. The movie doesn’t abandon the idea of reflection altogether, though, it seeks balance, revealing a time and place for reflecting on one’s experiences but also knowing that in order to reflect on life, life needs to happen.

Is it the most technically brilliant movie? No. Its cinematography fits the mood well enough, but I wouldn’t call it wizardry anytime soon. Does the narrative flow smoothly? The first half is jumpy; for someone who’s read the book, this feels like a smattering of the most important scenes without the extra information and day-to-day events that help smooth and transition. Do I feel the movie can preach on with its speeches about life, pain, and the grand meaning of it all? At times, yes. However, through its comedy, tragedies, and stories about growing up, I am forced to face a truth. Life is meant to be lived consciously aware of each moment. It’s not bad to reflect on the choices we’ve made or on the people we love, but too much is too much. I am uncomfortable, and I think that’s one of the best compliments I can give a film.

"The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5rh7O4IDc0