Angst Overdose

Rating: 4/10 (10 December 2012)

I usually don't bother reviewing anything at IMDb that's already been reviewed a hundred times, but since the vast majority of reviews here are glowing, I thought I'd offer my two cents.
I kind of hated Perks of Being a Wallflower. Why? It was like an angst overdose in a depressing fantasy world. Now I know there exists bullying in high school, but generally high school is not like it is portrayed here. Everyone in high school is not mean to you from the first to the last day and even if jocks can be insensitive, depicting them as nothing but evil bullies is a tired, stale plot mechanism.
The main character Charlie is so introverted that we never quite care about him. I'm remembering the introverted character from Almost Famous and how he ended up being really funny and lovable. I really didn't feel anything for Charlie. And both his parents are just robots so we're never given an explanation of why he is the way he is other than his aunt molested him and then died in a car accident. Really? That's what totally screwed up an otherwise normal, intelligent, halfway good looking kid?
Patrick is probably the best character but, really, he's a flaming queer and knows every word of the Rocky Horror Picture Show by heart but he has never heard of David Bowie's song Heroes? Really? And he isn't into theater? He just goes to parties and acts flamboyant while he is secretly depressed? Yet he and the rest of the "wallflowers" probably have more friends than any of the so-called "cool" kids do, so what are they so depressed about?
The teacher Mr. Anderson is a minor, minor character yet supposedly he has a great impact on Charlie's life. Why? Because he gives him books? There seemed to be some homo-erotic thing going on there that's never touched upon. Perhaps a moment a bit more awkward than the hug Charlie gives him--that might have shed some light on their mysterious relationship.
Charlie's high school crush Sam is an okay character but she also just sort of goes along with the absence of plot. She tells Charlie that she loves him but then she acts totally surprised when Charlie kisses her during the game of truth or dare. Really? And then later she's in love with him again or something. Whatever.
And of course there's Brad (no, can't be a reference to Rocky Horror, can it) the football star who is having a secret love affair with Patrick, a love affair that's so obvious that the only ones who can't see it are all Brad's knuckle-headed jock friends who don't even question him even when Patrick practically announces it in the cafeteria.
And where are the rest of the freshman, and the sophomores, and the juniors. This schools seems to have one freshman, Charlie, and everyone else is a senior. It makes NO sense.
I kept looking at the time realizing I still had forty five minutes, a half hour, twenty minutes to go, wanting to puke from eating so much angst, until I finally was shouting out loud "It's David Bowie's song Heroes, good God, it's not exactly obscure!!!!"