An infinite movie.

Rating: 9/10 (16 April 2013)

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" was my second favorite movie of the year after the epic, "Lincoln." If that is not enough praise, it is the best teen coming-of-age/high school movie I have seen. Think of all the great ones – Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Dazed and Confused, The Breakfast Club, etc. – and this movie is as good, if not better, than all of them. That's how much I loved this movie. It is based off of Stephen Chbosky's 1999 best-selling novel with the same name. Chbosky wrote and directed this movie himself. What a joy it must be to adapt your own work to film. I honestly couldn't have told you it was his directorial debut based on what I saw. Other than a couple of heavy-handed scenes, this was solid direction with almost perfect tone. After seeing the deleted scenes on blu-ray, I was impressed by how judicious he was with his own material. He made all the right moves. With any movie based off a novel, we always hear people say, "the book was better." At least, in this case, you can be sure the movie stayed true to the author's vision.
The movie takes place in the early 1990s near Pittsburgh, PA. There are only a few things that tie it to that era: lack of cell phones, kids making mixtapes with cassettes, and having to do real work to figure out the name of a song you heard on the radio. My friends will know that it doesn't take much to make me nostalgic for the 90s – the decade of my childhood. But I quickly thanked my lucky stars for YouTube, Google, and Shazam. Still, regardless of era, the dynamics of high school have not and will never change. Anyone can feel nostalgic watching this movie. High school will always be about cliques, social structures, uncertainty, self-discovery, and the desire to be liked. And that's where we meet our protagonist, on the dreaded first day of freshman year.
His name is Charlie, played by the promising young actor Logan Lerman. He arrives to high school, without friends or self- confidence, and just wants to sit with someone – anyone – at lunch. His English teacher (Paul Rudd) finds potential in him, but that just makes Charlie even more uncool. He eventually makes friends with a group of seniors: Patrick (Ezra Miller), Sam (Emma Watson), and Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman). We all remember this group from high school – the artsy, non-conformists. They are like Charlie, but have accepted and embraced their outsider status. They remind me of what my senior year of high school was like. After 3+ years, you increasingly stop caring about what people outside your circle of friends think - to a certain extent. Charlie, a freshman, has not yet reached that point.
These characters have their own distinct personalities, which are all very well developed; they aren't the typical high school movie caricatures. Charlie has an instant attraction to Sam. She is a kind, gentle soul dealing with a dark past that Charlie can relate to. Patrick is a confident, openly gay teen who is easy to root for. He first welcomes Charlie to the group – "the island of misfit toys." Mary Elizabeth is the smart, artistic one. She is like the quasi-punks I hung out with during high school. The young actors in this movie totally own their roles. There is real emotional depth to these characters in treacherous and heartfelt situations, and the actors rise to the occasion. Lerman delivers a controlled but vulnerable performance with the hint of something lurking just underneath. Emma Watson steps out of her childhood role as Harry Potter's Hermione Granger and shows her potential as a serious adult actress. She has a long, promising career ahead of her. Lastly, Ezra Miller steals the show in so many scenes. You always notice when he's on screen, and he's worthy of that attention. They should all be proud of their work. Chbosky waited over a decade to make this film. If he was waiting for the right cast, he certainly found it.
Charlie's newfound friends are his impetus for change. He is recovering from the tragic deaths of his best friend and Aunt Helen (Melanie Lynskey). I won't give up the details, but these events have left enduring emotional scars. Chbosky edits present-day action with hints of this past. Sam and Patrick get him out of his shell of self-doubt and depression. He begins to experience life and appreciate real friendship. They do drugs, enjoy music, take joy rides, and perform the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the local theatre. Sam also presents Charlie with his first chance at love. They are romantics, perfect for each other but too inexperienced and scarred to know it at first. I will leave the rest of the story for you to see and take witness. Let me just say, I totally bought into what was happening. I love when that happens and you just accept the characters on screen as real people, worthy of empathy.
This movie made me long for my high school days, which is something I don't normally do. It may portray a romanticized account of high school, but we all experience some sort of self-discovery during those years. I wish my high school life were half as interesting as this movie. It probably was but it didn't always feel like it at the time. I find only real good works of art elicit that sort of introspective thought. You know a movie is good when it resonates personally. I just didn't want my time with these characters to end. Needless to say, it is a film I would heavily recommend, and I look forward to revisiting it for years to come. It is 'infinite.'