Very good, but frustrating

Rating: 9/10 (5 October 2012)

Attracting attention for seeing Emma Watson take on her first major role since Hermione, Stephen Chbosky's adaptation of his own bestselling book isn't, although it may seem like it, your average coming of age film. The story revolves around Charlie (Logan Lerman), who we learn has suffered from some kind of mental disorder since his aunt passed away. Charlie is a 'loner/nerd' stereotype- no one to eat with at lunch, no friends who 'let him in'. He is, however, apparently a literary genius, writing extra curricular essays (as if) for his friendly English teacher, played by Paul Rudd. Starting high school, he befriends two half sibling 'social outcasts', Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), who introduce him to their artsy crowd- the sort of kids who would like to think of themselves as poetic, and who listen to The Smiths. Charlie's love for Sam is made painfully obvious from their first encounter, but the focus of the film isn't on their relationships as lovers, it's on Charlie's discovery of friendship (yes, it's all very sweet).
Although it tackles some very dark corners of teenage life- abuse, mental illness, drugs, suicide- it still manages to have moments of comedy, often brought about by Ezra Miller's perfect interpretation of the flamboyantly gay Patrick (a big step away from his disturbing performance in We Need To Talk About Kevin), also managing to express his frustration at dating a closeted football captain. Lerman plays the damaged 16 year old well, with believability and humour, and portrays his mental illness with sensitivity. Less can be said for Emma Watson, however, who is way off nailing the Pittsburgh accent, and doesn't quite keep up on an emotional level, but she serves her 'pretty first crush' purpose well.
At times, the film escalates into brilliance, with thoughtful dialogue and affecting scenes. But at other points it goes to the polar opposite, becoming so pretentious it's enough to make you want to throw something at the screen in a fit of rage- I found myself gawping at the fact that the writer managed to come up with a line so infuriatingly ridiculous for a 16 year old boy to say as 'I feel infinite'. It feels like the Chbosky decided that there should be at least three places where the characters just wallow around in their own self pity, throwing lines at each other that are practically begging to be mocked- 'I don't write poetry, poetry writes me', 'Welcome to the island of misfit toys', 'We accept the love we think we deserve' etc. Apart from anything else it's just unrealistic- I think you'd be hard pressed to find a schoolboy who would list 'infinite' as one of their common feelings.
Regardless, it carries emotional weight, and there will be many relatable aspects, even if you don't hang around with 'misfit toys', or own a typewriter, or make indie mixed tapes for your hipster friends. 'Perks' delivers a very watchable alternative to a normal teen movie, albeit a quite unrealistic one, but is worth watching, at least, just for the truly brilliant, and very moving ending.
Stars: 4/5 (written for school newspaper hence the strange format)