I have never wanted to like a movie so much, but...

Rating: 6/10 (23 May 2013)

I cannot put my finger on what turned me off of Perks of Being a Wallflower. I lived in Pittsburgh in the 80s through the 90s, was friends with the other misfits in high school and college and even performed in the cast of The Rocky Horror Picture Show for a couple of years. This movie is pretty much about me and my friends.
The cast all did marvelous work, particularly the three leads who all turn in rich, understated performances. There is some wonderful dialog, even a few lines that I would go so far as to call brilliant (e.g. "we accept the love we think we deserve" and "I feel infinite") and the movie is shot in a creative and cinematic way without ever getting flashy.
And yet I found myself oddly unmoved and disconnected from the characters and their plight. Moments that were supposed to be emotional and poignant came off as trite and tedious to me. Maybe it was because it was really nothing I had not already seen or that I didn't quite believe it. Maybe it's because as an adult I am kind of embarrassed at what a slacker I was at the time and the movie brings back bad memories of that period in my life.
I'm not sure, but whatever it is the movie just never clicked with me. I'm disappointed about that, because I was expecting a really profound experience watching it. Maybe that's it. Maybe I am too close to it to objectively experience it.
Perks of Being a Wallflower has some great things going for it. I really, really wanted to like it, but unfortunately I didn't. I feel compelled to recommend it anyway, as it will probably mean more to others than it did to me.