So I don't know about all these good reviews.

Rating: 2/10 (2 October 2012)

This may be somewhat disjointed, but there are significant problems with this film.
First off, I love how Emma Watson looks, but she is not organic. Her line delivery is terrible. How are we supposed to buy a 17 year old saying "Welcome to the island of misfit toys"--really? She loses her accent only somewhat, and moves her head before every single line. And shows a complete lack of inhibition at all times, whereas Patrick and Charlie still have some moments of varied emotion. And if she's the second most important character, where is the depth of storyline and evidence of "I'm a messed up kid". She mentions that she had older gentleman boyfriends at 11 and got drunk in freshman year and was promiscuous. Then all of that totally disappears and she acts like a normal person throughout the film. Her other emotional opportunity is "he said I was right to have broken up with him". There is no anger or revenge shown, just a matter of fact thing statement. Emma Watson still has a lot of development to do.
Patrick was great, range of emotions was believable, his acting was brilliant, and his reactions were on cue. No qualms with him.
Problems: Why does everyone think Charlie is a great writer if he never really a) tells them, b) shows them, or c) demonstrates. He hands some essays to his English teacher and then they have this huge connection due to Charlie liking him and his teacher giving him books and only saying "We accept the love we think we deserve". So that makes him the best teacher ever and it also makes Charlie a great writer-though he never attempts a novel. The father and mother have about three lines, and in the book the Dad was a lot more stand-offish. You can't prove a father stand-offish if he's just not in a lot of shots. The mother has less lines than the repeated lines of Aunt Helen.
Charlie. Great acting, but there's a huge problem with the way the film is developed and how his role comes about. They only mention "It is getting bad" and then keep it vague. Who the hell says things like "it's getting bad" and then are you seeing things again. There is barely any mention of his stay in a hospital during middle school, and tell me what teenager with light suicidality stays in a hospital for a year? Or even 3 months after his "breakdown". Even if it's supposed to be in the '80s that seems off.
Mary Elizabeth is apparently a punk rock Buddhist, and then all of the sudden she calls at all hours of the day when they go out--does not seem consistent with her character.
Charlie--you're saying that a guy who doesn't work out has the ability to black out and beat up three football players, and that the football players are suddenly stunned and decide to just look stunned rather than fighting back? Really?
Then someone thinks it's a good idea for Charlie to have a pot brownie without telling him and he doesn't freak out? And of course they toast him. And there is no detail about his "friend" he writes to or his friendship with his best friend who just commit suicide. But about the pot brownie. He is completely fine, then decides voluntarily in the same month or two to try LSD, having never actually smoked. Who does that? Not to mention the absolute lack of supervision throughout the entire film. These kids are allowed to do whatever they want and have house parties seemingly every week with alcohol and drugs, and only once are almost caught (sadie Hawkins). Again, what teenager decides to do LSD after ingesting a pot brownie once, unknowingly?
Then there's the Rocky Horror Picture Show. The QB is fine to be in the crowd of people, but cannot be in the show itself because someone would see him. What? And how the hell do all these 17 and 18 year olds all have the leads to this production. You're telling me that anyone who had been at this theater for this production had decided to give up the reins to acting in RHPS to this band of teenagers who apparently know everything about it? And that Charlie has no memories of his Aunt when he's touching breasts of Sam in the show and Mary Elizabeth, but then suddenly has a revelation when Sam's hand slides to his nether regions?
And Sam is totally okay with them going to have sex as soon as Charlie says I wanted to ask her out, knowing Charlie? What happens at that point?
This film is absolutely illogical and does terrible justice to the book. Emma Watson is gorgeous but unconvincing, Logan could be good in the future, and Ezra has a brilliant career in front of him. But for god's sake, this is not a good movie.