Beautiful drama behind its classic teen-movie looks

Rating: 10/10 (17 March 2013)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower made the top list of my personal favorites for 2013. Even though the movie was preceded by rather favorable criticism, I didn't expect to be taken away as I was. I must say that while reading the synopsis, this is typically the kind of movies that you have the impression of having already seen dozens of times. Except that for once, it stands wonderfully unique. And this is mainly because the nostalgia of the transition to adulthood was beautifully transcribed on the screen. Everyone can easily relate to the main character, Charlie, whether today's teenagers living precisely these experiences or those of yesterday who wistfully remember these golden years. The movie was not exempt from flaws. Starting with the clichés that were still relatively high. However, unlike other movies of the same genre, these clichés did not really matter because of the high affecting realism of the story and the characters.
In my opinion, the story draws its strength from the characters. First we have Charlie who turns out to be much more complex than he looks like at the beginning, especially with his morbid emotional wounds. The character was beautifully played by Logan Lerman. His acting really moved me and he makes it hard to imagine someone else playing the role. This is by far his best performance.
Sam and Patrick then were the first to truly accept Charlie in their group. Emma Watson and Ezra Miller were perfect. After a small role in My Week With Marilyn, Emma Watson, without her English accent, succeeded to deliver an outstanding performance in her first major role after Harry Potter's lovely Hermione. Ezra Miller keeps setting the bar higher for himself in every one of his movies. This was obviously his best performance so far. He brought life to the picture. The chemistry between actors was clearly there and Stephen Chbosky did an amazing job in his first time directing a movie, adapting his own book.
Finally, I would like to say a word about the soundtrack. It enhanced the 80's and 90's atmosphere in the movie and added a profound emotional background to it.
Ultimately, The Perks of Being A Wallflower is a beautiful drama carried by a great trio of actors. Behind its classic teen-movie looks, the movie evokes emotions and intelligence with nostalgia. A real must-see!