The Perks of Being a Wallflower **** (2012, Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd) – Classic Movie Review 12,647

Logan Lerman stars in the poignant and appealing 2012 cult film The Perks of Being a Wallflower as troubled, introverted 16-year-old freshman Charlie, observing life from the sidelines, until he connects with two misfit seniors (Emma Watson, Ezra Miller).

Logan Lerman stars in the perky, poignant and appealing 2012 cult film The Perks of Being a Wallflower as troubled, introverted 16-year-old freshman Charlie, a wallflower always observing life from the sidelines, until he makes a connection with two misfit charismatic seniors (Emma Watson, Ezra Miller) who become his mentors.

Charlie writes and narrates the story of his struggles and victories in his freshman year of high school in a Pittsburgh suburb to an unnamed friend, as he meanwhile battles clinical depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. The film is a model of how to deliver your serious themes and emotional impact in a popular entertainment setting, with the aid of charismatic young stars and a great soundtrack.

Emma Watson and Ezra Miller also star as free-spirited Sam and her gay stepbrother Patrick, who help Charlie to find friendship, first love (for the otherwise involved Sam), music (Smiths, Bowie, Rocky Horror), drugs, alcohol and much more, while a teacher (Paul Rudd) sparks Charlie’s interest in reading and maybe becoming a writer. Charlie is sweet 16 and never been kissed, so he seeks his first girlfriend, who he’d like to be Sam, but she is otherwise involved with a handsome two-timer and also curiously unengaged, so he tries to make do with the rather pushy Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman).

Patrick’s having partner problems too, especially after he and his closeted jock boyfriend Brad (Johnny Simmons) are caught making out by the boyfriend’s violent dad. Patrick publically calls Brad a ‘faggot’, Patrick punches him, and he retaliates, but Charlie intervenes before blacking out. Somehow Charlie has incapacitated a whole roomful of Brad’s friends before blacking out. Strong stuff, eh?

It emerges that Charlie is deeply troubled and cannot control his flashbacks of his Aunt Helen, who died in a car crash on her way to buy him his seventh birthday gift and he feels guilty of her death. His new friends are his salvation, but as they prepare to leave for college, Charlie’s demons and mental illness threaten to shatter his newfound strength and confidence.

Based on the novel written by Stephen Chbosky, who also writes the screenplay and directs, this is a cute, endearing and entertaining coming of age drama, but it is also thoughtful, thought-provoking and intelligent, tackling some difficult issues and proposing the virtues of an alternative lifestyle where folks are kind, generous and forgiving, and non-abusive and non-violent. These are the minority of good people where Charlie belongs.

Logan Lerman’s Charlie takes centre stage throughout, clearly if loosely based on Chbosky. It is Charlie’s story and the gay character is the sidekick. Patrick is an ‘amalgamate and celebration’ of people Chbosky met, based on ‘all the kids I knew who were gay and finding their way to their own identity’. Of course it would have been nice if the gay stepbrother Patrick was the main character, but Ezra Miller still has plenty to do and he does it charmingly and fearlessly, and Logan Lerman has good rapport with him in their many significant scenes together. Despite her surprise casting, Emma Watson seems entirely at home in an American high school. I know it’s called acting, but she’s good at it. All this all makes it a general youth audience favourite. A good thing then, as well as a good movie.

Among the memorable scenes are both Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller dressed as Franknfurter miming to Tim Curry at midnight movie screening of movie. The Rocky Horror Picture Show scenes were filmed at The Hollywood Theater in Dormont, Pennsylvania, after Chbosky found the cinema was re-opening. He saw the movie there years earlier.

Chbosky asks ‘Why do good people let themselves get treated so badly?’ and answers ‘We accept the love we think we deserve’.

The cast also includes Mae Whitman, Kate Walsh, Dylan McDermott, Joan Cusack, Nina Dobrev and Paul Rudd,

Filming took place for 50 days began in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area from May 9 to June 29, 2011. It had its world premiere at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival on 8 September 2012, and was released in the US on 21 September 2012, by Summit Entertainment.

It was a hit, grossing $33.3 million on a budget of $13 million.

The exceptional soundtrack music was chosen by Chbosky and music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas, and the scored is by Michael Brook.

Chbosky always intended to adapt the novel to film, and was hesitant to sell the rights, but eventually sold them to John Malkovich’s company Mr Mudd Productions if they let him write and direct the film. Emma Watson flew out to Los Angeles to pitch the film and met with executives from all the major studios In January 2011 after Watson pitched the film to Erik Feig, he gave the greenlight and Summit acquired the distribution rights.

The book was banned in some American schools for its content. The film boosted the novel’s sales, and it became a bestseller.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,647

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