In a fine movie debut, Stephen Chbosky directs the screen version of his novel. A shy high school freshman in 1991 is adopted by two unapologetically misfit seniors, played by Harry Potter’s Emma Watson and Ezra Miller (very different here than in We Need to Talk About Kevin). The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming of age story, and a very good one. We’ve all experienced adolescence, so my test for a film in this genre is whether the moments of adolescent awkwardness, peer obsession, self-doubt and discovery feel real. I felt that authenticity with Perks. In addition, the story is textured and unpredictable, and the performances – especially those by Watson and Miller – are excellent.
Movie Recommendations, Rants and Ruminations
I loved, loved, loved this movie. Please make the effort to find this gem — you will be glad you did. Entertaining, engaging, thought provoking and some nice twists that work.
Sometimes being married to a man that sees the tremendous amount of movies that my hubby does (so you don’t have to) is a hassle. And then at others I get to see wonderful movies like this that I would have missed — thanks, hubby for sharing this one with me.