"The Perks of Being a Wallflower": The Pinnacle of YA Films

Rating: 10/10 (9 March 2019)

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is a 2012 film, written and directed by first-timer Stephen Chbosky based off his own book. It's very rare when you see a novelist adapt his own book on the big screen, but in this circumstance, there was nobody better to do the job, not even John Hughes, who was working on it before his unfortunate passing in 2009. This film just blew me away, as it was way more than I expected it to be.
This film stars Logan Lerman as Charlie, a shy freshman who is an introvert. At school he meets Patrick and Sam, played by Ezra Miller and Emma Watson respectively, two seniors who introduce Charlie to the 'real world'.
First of all, let's start with the performances. After watching the Percy Jackson films, which were mediocre, I didn't think Lerman was the best choice for the lead role. Coming out of it, I realised that he was cast perfectly. Logan gives a realistic and heartfelt performance as Charlie and really adds depth to the character that might not have been there if somebody else was in the role. Ezra Miller and Emma Watson also both give convincing performances as well, which really helped the movie be more believable. Stephen Chbosky's directorial performance was really surprising, considering this was his debut film and he was a novelist prior to the film's release. His performance behind the camera was immaculate. He really assured that this film wasn't another young adult adaptation flop, like Eragon, Stormbreaker or, as I mentioned earlier, Percy Jackson. He puts so much heart into the film, that by the end you are definitely in tears.
Great performances, a moving script and a practically flawless directorial performance by an overlooked genius behind the camera helped "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" become undoubtedly the pinnacle of young adult films.
Rating: 9.5/10
Grade: A+