A wonderfully nostalgic coming of age drama

Rating: 9/10 (4 October 2012)

So we have another coming of age drama, not exactly a starved genre but this is one of the best I have seen and is a wonderfully nostalgic throwback to the 80s in the way American Graffiti was to the 60s. The late 80s was a time when I loved watching teenage angst in movies like Some Kind of Wonderful or Risky Business followed by a horror movie where said protagonists are stabbed or slashed in inventive ways on Elm Street or the likes. Perfect double bills, ah miss those days!
I cannot convince any of you that the underlying formula of this film is significantly different to others in this genre but I promise this is nevertheless not a clichéd run of the mill, trippy road movie (though there is a bit of tripping in this). The main characters have layers which are slowly peeled away as the film progresses. I was very warmed to the earnestness of these characters and their developing stories. The story being told from the point of view from a fresher year student who is an introvert trying to do the best he can to fit in, is as stereotypical of a protagonist you can get but thanks to Logan's sublime performance, his execution was exquisite, humorous and very realistic, not overdone as is the case with many other films in this genre. He is befriended by two slight eccentrics (Emma Watson and Ezra Miller), bringing him into their exclusive circle of "misfits".
What makes this film stand out for me then? I think its a combination of many elements. Immaculate direction by the director who is also the author of the book that this film is based on which is interesting, as the only one other example I can think of is Michael Crichton who also directed his own books into movies. The choice of delightfully eclectic 70s/80s soundtrack perfectly complements the variable moods. The smoothly flowing narrative plays out with a poetic grace, infusing heart and soul, intrigue and wonderful characters that some of us have met in one form or another during our college days.
To top it off, the three main protagonists are beautifully conveyed. Its great to see Emma Watson able to free herself from the shackles further away from the Hermione persona after her small transition role in My Week With Marilyn. She equips herself well with natural aplomb, giving an earnest and heartfelt performance. I hear negatives about her accent which frankly, I find preposterous. First of all, I didn't notice if she has a British or American accent because when you are in a college, students come from different backgrounds and accents are mixed anyway. Secondly, its the performance that enraptures me, not the accent. If we are supposed to criticise accents then we might as well lay it thick on Sean Connery's Oscar winning performance of an Irish cop who sounded very much like a Scotsman, yet he still got an Oscar...maybe it was because of his performance, huh? The stand out performer, however, was the other supporting character, Ezra Miller who oozes charisma and I think we'll be seeing a lot more of this lad in future. I cant say much more about his character though because as I said they have layers which are slowly peeled away.
There is a revelation at the end but to be honest, while its actually a good one and makes the film even more substantial, it didn't need to have it. I would have been completely satisfied with the movie without it. I also think it drives a somewhat misleading message about certain types of people.
Having said that, I had a wonderfully nostalgic time with this film which delivers an emotional journey of ups and downs, building to a both an uplifting and poignant crescendo, so it is for that experience I give this a 9/10.
I especially recommend this for those of you who like American Graffiti, Some Kind of Wonderful, Hugh Walter movies etc.