Left Me In Tears

Rating: 9/10 (9 February 2019)

Returning to my own life after connecting myself to the tear-jerking story that is "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," I knew I couldn't avoid writing this review if I wanted any closure for myself on what I'd seen. This comedic drama, or "dramedy" in the business, was something I was recommended to watch several years ago, but refused as it didn't seem interesting to me. Seeing it now so much later, I deeply regret avoiding such a relatable, heartwarming tale for as long as I did.
The movie follows Charlie Kelmeckis (Logan Lerman), an eccentric, kind-hearted young man, through his Freshman Year at Mill Grove High School in what seems to be the 80's or 90's, as there's no smart-technology to be found (which is fantastic). He quickly gets popular with the older crowd of Seniors, and grows particularly close with Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller) in their debaucherous adventures and emotional pasts. All of this makes for a light-hearted drama that does everything you would expect it to in the best possible ways. Logan portrays Charlie in an incredibly personal way, allowing the audience to step into the protagonist's shoes with much more ease than one may expect. Ezra as Patrick was also objectively fantastic, and while Emma Watson's American accent definitely needs work, you still saw Sam in the film rather than Emma, a barrier that's difficult for exceptionally-famous actors to cross. These three amongst several other young talents are what made this movie what it is to me.
Aside from it being quite impressive from an acting standpoint, Perks was wonderfully shot and I especially loved the POVs of Charlie when his nights didn't go so well, especially when he was drugged without him knowing at some late-night parties with weed or ecstasy. The whole movie is sort of told in a way where you won't understand it if you look away for even a few seconds, which I think is logical for the story. But that's not to say it's not flawed. The story can easily get rather repetitive, as most of the characters appear to either want to get Charlie high or have sex with him, and this happens particularly with Mary Elizabeth, the girl he dates because he's too scared to turn her down. But through every character's pain and suffering, everything turned out just fine for everyone in the end. The ultimate lesson to be learned from this nostalgic look back for moviegoers to their own high school life, is that your teenage years are really difficult to get through, but once you do, nothing's stopping you from taking on the world at full force. I can only hope that's what others take form this movie, but it's a lesson that has stuck with me and personally helped me in a few instances of my life.
If you think this movie is interesting, go see it. You won't regret it. And even if you're on the fence, give it a shot. I did and I loved it. I'll be honest, if you think it sounds bad, chances are you won't be a fan, but if you're being dragged along by your partner to go see it, it won't be as much of a snoozefest as it seems, even with the PG-13 rating. This definitely isn't the most action-packed or super-dramatic movie-it's simple, emotional, and wonderful. If that sounds like a treat to you, go off and see life from a wallflower's perspective as soon as you can. I give this movie a 9 out of 10.