The freshman year of high school can be a frightening and electric time. Hell, for most people the entire four years was confounding but magical, but that first one holds a special place. The fear of the unknown, the excitement of what will be discovered and the raging hormones that add a nice layer of complication to everything, makes the processing of any information literally impossible. Its a lot like what Dickens says at the beginning of “The Tale of Two Cities”. In fact, I’m pretty sure he was talking about freshmen year when he spoke of the best/worst of times.
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” lets you feel the angst and energy of that time and can easily be compared to the great John Hughes classics of the 80’s like “Sixteen Candles” and (especially) “The Breakfast Club”. First time director, Stephen Chbosky has made an effortless film about a sad and brilliant boy named Charlie (Logan Lerman) that puts us in his shoes when he falls in love for the first time while trying to navigate the chaotic world around him. The resulting film is so effective at strumming the nostalgia that it is a small miracle. This is one of the best movies of the year.
It is the early 90’s in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, PA where we first meet Charlie. Sullen and introverted, the first day of school is a persuasive form of torture as the only friendship he is able to cobble together is with his English teacher, Bill (Paul Rudd). And Charlie needs friends. The only kid close to him has committed suicide recently, leaving Charlie wounded and alone. The boy is a smart kid, so smart that he is out place. He quickly gravitates to another group of misfit seniors headed by Patrick (Ezra Miller) and his stepsister, Sam (Emma Watson). They embrace his quirks and show him an accepting world that he didn’t know existed: One filled with pot brownies and the joys of discovering David Bowie’s music.
Charlie almost instantly begins to fall in love with Sam and it is easy to see why. Watson gives her so much life that she practically glows in the dark. But Sam will be off to college at the end of the year and Charlie will have 1087 days left until he is free to grab the diploma and run for the hills. Conflict and angst abound and eating a little LSD will not help matters much.
Sam is considered to be Emma Watson’s coming-of-age performance after a decade of Hermione in the Potter films. She does a convincing job and it is easy to forget about the little witch as her Sam bobs around on the dance floor to Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ “Come On Eileen”. The only nitpick is that you can see her try to wrap her mouth around words at times to hide her English accent but that’s fine. “Perks” should go a long way in establishing her as an adult star. Logan Lerman (Percy from the “Percy Jackson” movie) is a little too old to be playing little Charlie but his performance is very strong. Pain-filled but full of wonder. He is a great tour guide into Charlie’s head. Ezra Miller’s Patrick is a force of nature. He has the juiciest plotline as a gay kid who has to hide his relationship to protect his lover. Miller commands the screen with energy and laser-point intensity.
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is about friendship and building a support group, a second family, which helps us navigate through this crazy world. Chbosky, working from his Young Adult novel of the same name, presents this sense of community so well that you will want to go to the parties with these kids and sit with them during lunch period.
I will admit that I am a touch biased here. I graduated high school in 1993, spent many midnights screaming at the screen at “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and ate my share of little pieces of funny paper. This film spoke to me on a very personal level that is uncanny. I remember the importance of discovering good music and good friends. A small part of the older man in me had forgotten but Charlie and Sam’s trip through the tunnel has reminded me.