Review of The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) by Johnny T — 08 Apr 2014

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a heartfelt and sincere adaptation that's bolstered by strong lead performances. The film is also an earnest, big-hearted ode to friends as support and salvation, and to the talismanic quality a favorite song, treasured hang-out, or shared tradition can take on for a teenager. Chbosky's adaptation from his semi-autobiographical best selling novel is a zinger of a screenplay, and he directs it with verve and sensitivity. Charlie's journey is beautifully conveyed and it's done without sentiment. Humbling experience and despite whatever generation you hark from there is the common ground of having lived through those teenage years and this film revels in those magic moments and the people that help form who we are. The Perks of Being a Wallflower hurts. It hurts because it depicts the loneliness, anxiety and all-out quivering mess of adolescence in a manner not often seen since John Hughes' heyday. This is clearly a labor of love that was nurtured and sculpted from the beginning. The result is a film that feels exhilarating, fragile, funny and real. I adore The Perks of Being a Wallflower for its honest, unsentimental feel, which gets stretched a bit in the revelatory finale, but by then I didn't mind.

VERDICT: "High-Quality Stuff" - [Positive Reaction] This is a rating to a movie I view as very entertaining and well made, and definitely worth paying the full price at a theatre to see or own on DVD. It is not perfect, but it is definitely excellent. (Films that are rated 3.5 or 4 stars).