Not content to just write a book that sold a bajillion copies and inspired a generation of young people who went through adolescence feeling strange and out of place, author Stephen Chbosky had to show off by not only adapting his book into a screenplay himself, but also by being the director of the film. It turns out Chbosky is a man of many talents. His story, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, centers on a high school freshman named Charlie (Logan Lerman) who’s had some struggles with depression and manic episodes, who might be a little too smart and sensitive for his own good, and who is having trouble fitting in at school. Sound familiar? Yeah, it probably should; it’s the type of high school story that we’ve been telling for generations now. And the fact that Charlie finds a place to belong after stumbling into the social circle of a group of quirky outsiders probably shouldn’t surprise you either. This is all pretty well-worn material at this point. But keep in mind that well-worn stuff usually gets oft trod upon for a good reason.
The primary force behind Charlie’s social awakening is a brother/sister duo named Patrick (Ezra Miller) and Sam (Emma Watson). Patrick is the flamboyant gay kid in the school and Sam its shamed slut; but when you get to know them you realize that they’re a couple of kind-hearted, outgoing kids, and just the sort of friends an introvert like Charlie needed. Which is the biggest red flag most people will probably see when going into this movie. Charlie’s salvation through quirky outsider follows the tired Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope far too closely to be taken too seriously, and whenever Sam is out on playdates with his new crush and his new gay best friend, the dialogue suddenly becomes far too crafted and twee to keep you from rolling your eyes.
The good news, though, is that The Perks of Being a Wallflower doesn’t venture far enough into this quagmire to be sunk. Far from it. This is actually one of the most nuanced and satisfying teen dramas that’s come out in a long while. Sure, the Charlie character is frustratingly passive, the Sam character acts without thinking, and the Patrick character is annoyingly extroverted, but Chbosky’s script doesn’t just make them quirky for quirkiness’ sake. The characters’ behavior all gets explained away as we learn more about them, their motivations deepen and develop, and they all end the movie as different people than they were when it began. That’s just good storytelling.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower isn’t cutesy, either. It deals with dark, uncomfortable, true to adolescence and true to life experiences, it does it with a wisdom and a maturity that’s rare in movies aimed at teenagers, and it’s helped along by a strong cast of young actors who all give great performances. It’s not hard to see why Chbosky’s book was such a success, because the film it spawned is a refreshing, affecting teen movie that can be put right up there next to the best work of John Hughes.
Keep in mind though, this is still a story that heavily concerns itself with the creation and gifting of mix tapes, so it’s going to be the sort of thing that works best for a young audience. If you’re going to take this one in and truly enjoy it you’re either going to have to be a teenager, young at heart, or at least able to sit back and appreciate the fact that the movie takes place in the early 90s and all of the songs showing up on the mix tapes are strong tracks from back when music was music. You get to listen to acts like The Smiths, David Bowie, and New Order... the exact sort of stuff you used to listen to back when you were a young person trying to work through all the baggage left over from the shit you went through during your childhood. Don’t fight it, let the melancholic warmth of nostalgia wrap you up in a warm and tender hug, and give The Perks of Being a Wallflower a chance.
