The greatest high school movie of all time - idiosyncratic characters done well.

Rating: 10/10 (14 December 2014)

I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say that I am utterly sick of the "idiosyncratic." You know what I mean - modern movies that actively try to be different from mainstream cinema by employing characters and/or camera angles with countless quirks and odd behaviors. "Be different!" now translates to don't act like a normal human being. As far as I'm concerned, it's every bit of a horrendous cliché by this point as the comedic pause or the loud noise in a movie trailer.
So in comes "Perks of Being a Wallflower," originally a Stephen Chbosky a book (which I read long before the movie was announced at the recommendation of my older siblings) which he adapted into a film in 2012. I loved the book, but felt it was needlessly cruel or slightly lacking in some areas (although the ending, which I shall not elaborate on here, mostly made up for those minor problems). I was very excited when I saw the film trailer, and soon after saw it with my sisters and my mother.
I came out of the theater shaking, completely numb. I cannot express in words how blown away I was. Anything I say from this point on is really just a formality. It's really a movie you should go into knowing the most bare bones of information.
Stephen Chbosky knows how to writer idiosyncratic characters, plain and simple. Everyone, especially the main protagonist Charlie, is likable. The growth these characters go through is satisfying to watch and well warranted by the end. I won't go into individual scenes - any mention of such would dampen the actual experience somewhat. Just know that any scenes with music by The Smiths or any scenes that take place in a cafeteria will stick out to you for days after you watch the film. Even the deleted scenes on the DVD would've been perfect for inclusion in the actual movie, which is NOT something I can say for Endless Love or The Spectacular Now.
The ending is brilliant. One of the few movies I've ever seen that actually has an ending.
This is one of my favorite movies, and I can safely say that after watching it three times. Highly recommended. All high schoolers and college students NEED to watch this, but really, anyone who appreciates character driven stories and heartbreaking writing will enjoy it. Go out and watch it. Now. No, really. Right now.