Kristin Reviews The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a fairly heavy drama about the effects of child abuse, advertised as a coming of age comedy. While it does have humorous moments, the majority of the film has a heartbreaking bleakness about it made all the more poignant for its accurate portrayal of the emotional struggles experienced by young adults who have been, or are, physically and sexually abused.

That’s not to say that I didn’t like the movie. I found it engaging from the beginning. I’d say its biggest flaw is that it doesn’t quite know what genre to settle into - this issue is not a problem in a novel, but in a movie, it can leave the viewer feeling slightly off-balance.

Logan Lerman, an actor whom I’ve apparently seen in a few minor roles and barely noticed, applies a fitting earnestness to the character of Charlie, a high school freshman struggling to put his life back together following an emotional breakdown caused by the suicide of a close friend and the death of his favorite aunt. The story follows Charlie as he befriends several other misfits - seniors at his high school - who are equally damaged and unbalanced; through his connection to them, he learns to recognize both that he is not alone in his pain and that in the midst of such misery, one can experience moments of happiness. The movie seems to want us to trust that these intermittent joyful moments will somehow heal Charlie and his friends and set them free, but the knowledge of what they’ve all experienced and the emotional toll such things have on a person bleeds in and taints that implied uplifting theme.

The highlight of the film is Ezra Miller’s inspired performance as Patrick, a gay boy caught in a destructive relationship. Miller, fresh from a jaw-droppingly brilliant turn as Kevin in last year’s We Need to Talk About Kevin, is equally charismatic and believable in this role, although the two characters are completely different. In a film with a decent script and competent performances by all other players, Miller brings electric energy to the screen and keeps the rest of the film from faltering.

The other performances in the film are all strong, and in a movie that didn’t feature the remarkable Miller, they might even have stood out. Paul Rudd is charming as Charlie’s favorite teacher, and Emma Watson plays a more damaged, American version of Hermione. I do have to say that I caught Joan Cusack’s name in the opening credits and looked for her throughout, only to be disappointed when she logged fewer than five minutes of screen time. I found myself wondering if perhaps her character was more prominent in the novel and some of her scenes were cut from the film.

I expect Perks to earn an adapted screenplay nomination; since I have not read the book, I cannot speak to how well it was adapted, but I did feel it was a compelling story with interesting characters and good pacing. I would love to see Ezra Miller earn a nomination, and I expect him to land numerous nods in the future, but it might be too soon for the Academy to take notice of him. But give it time. They will.

-Kristin
11.12.2012