The Perks of Being a Wallflower shows the up and downs of high school life the best I've ever seen.

Rating: 8/10 (13 October 2012)

"Perks shows how being in High school can be hard even if you have some friends to help you get through"
Back in the 90's Steven Chbosky wrote a book about called "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" which was based in the early 1990's before people used their phones all the time and people hung out all the time. So when the film version was going to be made Chbosky has spent all this time trying to convince people that he should direct/write the film himself. The story is about a boy named Charlie (Logan Lerman) who starts High School with no real friends and no one to talk to, during his time alone he runs into Patrick (Ezra Miller) and his half-sister Sam (Emma Watson) who take him into their group of misfits which include Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman), Alice (Erin Wilhelmi) and more who take him in straight away. Charlie also has some underline problems which include a dead aunt, a problem with seeing things which in the end lead to his final breakdown.
The film is mainly about the developing relationship between the main three (Charlie, Patrick and Sam) who go through drugs, love and performing. The characters in this film fit so well together as they have created a bond about the differences they share and how they come together. The film balancing so much plot lines did not feel rushed to me presenting fascinating character studies as well as showing that when you go to the lowest lows you will always have support from your friends whether it helps or not.
Performance wise I was surprised of how much I liked Lerman in the role because the only other major performance I saw him in was the Percey Jackson films which do not show his talents. He made the character very believable especially in his final breakdown which is the point where I felt that living with this character for the whole film made me feel affected by him compared to other films that would rush it. Ezra Miller is a still a rising star in my mind and this film will help him become more known as he truly steals every scene he is in adding up to taking the film from the bigger known stars. His character can be over the top but Miller has tried to tone down the over the top Patrick by giving him a more human side. Emma Watson is the weakest of the three because I felt that she was trying her best but because the other got the more meatier material she was less then impressive. Over the years I have been a non believer in her talents as an actress but her performance in this film makes me believe more in her. The rest of the ensemble were just as good and added to the story making every actor on screen strong.
This film was a delightful surprise to me as I was not really excited to see it in the beginning. The story and film feel very much of the time it is trying to portray. With fantastic performances by Lerman and Miller, also a great script to boot this film is one of the best I've seen this year.
MOVIE GRADE: B (MVP: Ezra Miller)