The Perks of Being a Wallflower has been out for under a week now, and already there’s quite a buzz about it.
Set in an unknown time, the film pulls together a great cast of young (and old) actors who you might not before encountered, smashes them together with a fantastic soundtrack and a beautiful set. Ultimately, it has the power to leave you in that awkward position of entering the bathroom after it’s over, being the only cinema-goer with make-up streaks down their face.
As a lover of the book my hopes were high. I silently begged for it to be good throughout the opening credits and twenty minutes in I started sobbing, realising that this was the piece of art that made me wish that I knew who I was when I was 15-years-old.
Perks is a romantic mix of relationship issues, mental illness, teenage woes and friendship. If you’ve ever felt alone, or felt that bitter-sweet feeling of being happy and sad at the same time, you will relate. It may seem a little specific for a film, but it’s stunning. It’s a film that, as predicted, I imagine will become somewhat cult. It’ll be our Ferris Bueller. Bold statement? I tell you now your kids are going to love it.
Ezra Miller strongly reminds me of a young Michael Jackson in the looks department, yet his charming flamboyancy left me wanting so much more. He was possibly the most likable character I’ve seen in a long time, and while Logan Lerman was perhaps just a little but too beautiful to be so awkward, he nevertheless, matched the Charlie in my head perfectly. The only part of the film that I thought would leave me less than impressed was Emma Watsons’ poor American accent, but I was too busy being charmed by her acting abilities to notice.
The performance of the film, however, goes to Paul Rudd. He always surprises me and without knowing if the similarities between himself and young Logan Lerman are intentional, I adore their shared scenes. Or perhaps, he just reminds us of that one teacher. We all have one, right?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower was a striking display of humanity and I highly recommend that you go and see it. It’s certainly worth the ticket price.
“Welcome to the Island of Misfit Toys.”