THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER

It's odd that so many films are aimed at teenagers, but almost none are actually about them. This wasn't always the case. In the 80's there were the films of John Hugues and Cameron Crowe, but they faded away. Outside of Superbad and Mean Girls, my generation didn't have a large cannon of our own, so we clung to those 80's hits that had been so popular with our older siblings and younger parents. We all loved Breakfast Club in highschool, but I preferred Fast Times. I'm probably too old to claim The Perks of Being A Wallflower as part of my generation (though the book was published in the late 90's and takes place in '91), but I'm so glad the people just under me will have it to call their own.

The film follows Charlie (Logan Lerman), a freshman who's having trouble making friends and is on medication to help him deal with the emotional fallout of a series of personal tragedies suffered over the years. Eventually he's taken in by a pair of seniors: Patrick and Samantha (Ezra Miller and Emma Watson respectively). They too have issues. Patrick is openly gay but is in a difficult relationship with a closeted jock. Sam struggles with grades and the unearned "reputation" she got in Freshman year. Charlie worships them both, and it's easy to see why. They frequent midnight scereenings of Rocky Horror and have excellent taste in music, mostly post-punk and glam-rock.

Between all the Dr. Frank N Furter and David Bowie, it doesn't take long for Charlie to develop feelings for Sam, leading to all sorts of difficult complications. In the wrong hands Sam could have been an unfortunate collection of Manic Pixie tropes, but Watson's smart performance avoids most of the traps. Yes she has her quirks, but she's also very down to earth. A real person who makes some fairly typical and relatable mistakes. Ezra Miller is also excellent as Patrick, who's allowed to be actually gay vs. being forced to play "movie gay." It's really outrageous how rarely movies portray gay people without resorting to camp caricature.

Lerman also does fine in the lead, even if he's sometimes let down by director Stephen Chbosky (who also wrote the script based on his own book) who unloads the mystery of Charlie's emotional issues a little too slowly. Also, as much as the film gets it, there's still a tiny bit too much fantasy here. But more often than not it all works, and it all gels together in one of the best endings I've seen all year.

Perks didn't get that wide a release, but a film as heartfelt as this is probably destined for cult status. Pacing issues aside, it may very well earn a place in the cannon of great Teen Movies.

Grade: A-