Welcome back to another issue of Your Movie Mage, where I discuss underrated movies across genres. Last week, I reviewed the comedic mockumentary, “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.” This week, I’ll review the movie adaptation of the coming-of-age book by the same name, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” follows teens in high school navigating struggles brought on by family, friends, growing up and being different. The main character, Charlie, played by Logan Lerman, struggles to make friends, especially after the death of his best friend the year prior.
He’s quiet and blends into the background, acting surprised when someone shows interest in getting to know him. He’s quickly taken in by the confident and high-energy Patrick, played by Ezra Miller, and his stepsister Sam, played by Emma Watson.
Throughout the movie, the audience learns more about Charlie and his life experiences, while also discovering more about Patrick and Sam. Viewers see that they’ve all had hardships that they ultimately accept and can make positive lives for themselves. This gives the movie a positive ending despite the many heart wrenching scenes and tough subject matter.
This 2012 movie is filmed so beautifully. It really feels as though it takes place in the ‘90s suburbs, both in how it’s shot and how it’s graded, along with costumes and set.
The score is another way in which this movie shines, and it aids the viewer in feeling this ‘90s suburban vibe. Much of the soundtrack is quiet and emotional, which I appreciate, as it matches the feelings of the scenes. This film feels exactly like it does reading the book, which isn’t easy to do.
The book and film perfectly capture the feeling of wallflowers—people who are awkward and quiet. I haven’t seen many movies do such a good job portraying a character that’s as quiet as Charlie, while still making his thoughts and feelings known.
This film contains so many well-done emotional scenes that are built up throughout. There are short flashbacks, and the way they’re included is natural and realistic. Finally, viewers see the full story.
There are scenes that capture feelings I’ve never seen represented before in cinema. Particularly, there’s a scene where Charlie is breaking down and reexperiencing memories that viewers now see in a different lens. It’s so well done and only explainable visually, so I’d suggest watching it.
There are many things in the book that weren’t included in the film, but in this instance, it doesn’t take away from the movie at all. Instead, it encourages viewers to read the book if they haven’t, and those who have read the book can enjoy the movie even more.
I’m glad they didn’t try to cram in every important or meaningful scene from the book, and they managed to maintain the book’s feelings and ideas without doing so.
If you haven’t seen this movie, I highly recommend it. If you haven’t read the book, you should. I feel like anyone can find someone they relate to in this movie and something to enjoy about it, even if it’s just the cinematography or score. I give “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” an underratedness score of 4/5.
That being said, a good number of people have seen it or heard of it, and most who have watched it appreciate it. As a word of warning, the book and movie deal with subject matter that may be difficult for some viewers.