One of the Best Films of 2012

Rating: 10/10 (9 November 2012)

Wow. I wait all year long for the release of movies like this one that are headed for the awards season.
The "Perks of Being A Wallflower" has so much about it that was right and excellent it is hard to know where to start. Steven Chbosky adapted his novel into the fine script. His direction was also excellent. Logan Lerman plays a 16-year-old turning 17. A freshman in high school who is recovering from some traumatic event which causes him to experience flashbacks.
The film takes us to high school in the 1980s, and the soundtrack revisits the music of the era. Music is integral to the characters as Logan's character, Charlie, creates mixes on cassettes for his friends. Charlie struggles to breathe in the claustrophobic world of high school, where he is alone, alienated and introverted. He finds two seniors who are odd ducks, and they form an immediate and intimate bond.
Charlie reminds us of Salinger's Holden Caulfiend, a sensitive, observant youth from the 1950s. The film cuts as deeply into the minds of these eighties kids, as did "The Catcher in the Rye" for an earlier generation.
Funny and sad. The acting is terrific. This is clearly one of the best films we will see this year.