The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) - We are Infinite!

Rating: 10/10 (14 October 2012)

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is definitely a movie that almost every teen and adult can relate to. It can bring back the beloved and nostalgic teen-hood memories of an adult, and while at the same time, showing a realistic tale of the every-day life of a teenager in high school to those who can understand the hardships of being a teen. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is definitely one of the best movies of the year. Logan Lerman, from "Percy Jackson" fame, delivers one of this year's most fantastic performances as Charlie, a shy and nervous young teen, with dreams of being a writer, while not having the greatest childhood, who's about to start his first day of high school. He sees himself as an outcast from the other kids, and he's afraid to make any friends, until he meets and befriends two seniors, Sam and Patrick, played respectively by Emma Watson of "Harry Potter" fame, and Ezra Miller of "We Need to Talk About Kevin" fame. They accept Charlie as one of their own, and ask him to join their group of "misfit toys". We now get a heartwarming tale of teen-hood, friendship, surviving through high school, living your life, and growing up in this wonderful coming-of-age teen drama. Based on a critically acclaimed novel of the same name, the book's author, Stephen Chbosky, has both written and directed a film adaptation of his own novel, and it just pulls off beautifully. You can tell that all the hard work has to be credited towards the director. It was his responsibility that the movie just has a great look and style, and it has a great realistic tone, while it never falls to being dull. Delivering one of the best scripts in recent memory, this movie is just filled with clever and witty dialouge, while at the same time, giving the audience some intense realistic moments, some that can make you laugh, or some that can make you cry. Thanks to the hard work of the writer, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" never feels as just a simple movie, while rather feels more like a realistic and truthful portrayal of teen life and behavior. As for the performances, all three young actors: Lerman, Watson, and Miller all delivering a fantastic chemistry that just shines on screen, and each actor delivers a great performance one after the other. The gorgeous Emma Watson is great playing the down-to-earth character of Sam, while Ezra Miller delivers stand-out comic relief as Patrick, the incredibly neurotic and charismatic step-brother to Sam. But, it's Logan Lerman who deserves a Best Actor nomination, for his performance as Charlie. As we learn in the film, he hasn't had a great childhood, from not communicating a lot with his family, and still trying to go through the death of a close relative. That makes Charlie seem the ultimate outcast at school. We actually feel the pain and hardships that the character goes through, and we as the audience, are always on his side, supporting him through the stages of his teen life. It's a golden performance that is truly one of the best I've seen all year. The unstoppable supporting cast also features some minor, but great performances from Paul Rudd as the English teacher with a heart of gold, and Melanie Lynskey, seen in flashbacks, as Charlie's deceased relative. This is a film that everybody, in almost every age, from adolescence to adult-hood, can find something to relate to. This is a film that will show audiences a beautiful coming-of-age tale of being yourself, staying with your friends, and trying to live in the world around us. Seeming perfectly similar to a John Hughes film, from "The Breakfast Club" to "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is a truly original and realistic teen flick that audiences all over will enjoy for sure! "The Perks of Being a Wallflower", in my review, "A beautifully original, and truly remarkable coming-of-age tale of adolescence".