“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” has been my favorite book since I was about 13 when my sister finally allowed me to read it. At that point, it had been a decent amount of time since I had much attachment or connection to a book, but this was the best book I had read. It captured these emotions that, at that age, I had no idea anybody else experienced. I thought there was no better, or equivalent, way to express these feelings, especially since the format of the book is a compilation of letters from our protagonist, through which we are able to see how he sees the world. How could one possibly turn this into a movie that manages to express these same thoughts and feelings? In working with the author, Stephen Chbosky, who also directed the film, producers were able to capture the essence of the book in a completely different medium. It seems to be relatively rare for a film adaptation of a book to compare to the source material at all, but this is one such scenario where it was done very well.
One reason I think the adaptation was so successful is because of Chbosky’s involvement in the project as the director. While there were many scenes in the book that were absent from the movie, the feeling the book gives remained the same. Naturally, it’s a bit sad to not see certain scenes that you imagined while reading materialize on the screen, but of course there are time constraints that result in the creators of the film having to decide on what scenes need to be kept out. It is no easy task, but they did an amazing job of maintaining the story and the heart.
Another aspect that I loved about this film is that those who have read the book do get small references to scenes and ideas that are discussed in the book but not shown in the film. These mentions add so much to the film for all types of viewers, whether by referencing aspects of the book or by giving the viewers the impression that there is much more to the characters, making it feel much more realistic. Because of this, I would argue that the movie is more enjoyable if you read the book; but the other great thing about the film is that it’s a great movie whether you’ve read it or not.
Because the book is made up of letters from Charlie to the reader, it can be difficult and risky to translate that into a film. They utilize narration from Charlie to remind us that this story is being told through letters, and to get a sense of his thoughts versus the events that we’re seeing unfold. I find this to be done very well as they don’t overuse narration by any means, and the majority of the story is being told just as a film. Just as in the book, what’s going on becomes clearer as we get further in.
The acting was also amazing, and every actor portrayed the characters just as I had imagined them in the book. It’s rather rare, it seems, that a film is able to accomplish this, but they managed to do the characters true justice. Again, I’m sure part of the reason the actors fit the character so well is because Chbosky would most likely have been involved in the casting, and he was the one who created the characters in the first place.
The movie is subtle with dark themes in a world that’s written as encouraging and sweet despite the hardships, giving hope to the viewers, just as the book does. It isn’t overly pessimistic or dramatic and our protagonist is relatable in a way we don’t often see done well on screen. Both the movie and the book feel so authentic and accurate to the teenage experience, and they are a truly well-done coming of age story. The realism makes the hopeful message even more hopeful. Seeing someone who you relate to struggling and still making progress and working towards happiness is something we don’t always see but is portrayed in this movie and book.
Often times when fans of a book hear it’s being adapted into a movie, they feel a mixture of excitement and dread, figuring the movie will not do the book justice. At least after reading the book and hearing there was a movie, I assumed this would be a similar situation. However, this movie was great and one of my favorites. It did a great job of representing this emotional story and its characters. As college students, you will probably appreciate the accurate representation of young adulthood. If you’ve read the book, you’ll most likely love the movie and if you’ve watched the movie, I’d recommend reading the book and then rewatching the movie.