The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Excellent movie 👍 I would probably put it in my top 10 of all time.

A friend recommended this and I loved it, it’s a bit of an emotional roller coaster but has some good lessons in it.

This film adaption is very faithful. Perhaps not so surprising because the author wrote and directed it! This is tremendously rare. It's unusual enough for an author to write his own adaption (I'm doing it for Untimed, but I'll dance the Snoopy dance if I can even get it produced, and set off fireworks if I land any kind of production roll. Actually directing it? That's a serious wet dream.)As a stand alone film, this is an excellent contribution to the teen angst drama. It's also funny at times. Not so much as the amazing Adventureland, but more serious and just different. Way better than the putrescent likes of Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist.The acting is excellent. It's been obvious since Prisoner of Azkaban that Emma Watson would end up a serious babe. She's got looks, spunk, smarts, and charisma all locked down. Ezra Miller is also a standout as Patrick. The two of them have so much life in them that they overshadow Charlie -- he is, after all, a wallflower. Nina Dobrev (also a favorite of mine, but not as good an actress as Emma) has a small role as Charlie's sister. The part has a different feel than in the novel, nicer for the most part. Paul Rudd is good (albeit the part is a bit forced) as the teacher.The film doesn't go out of its way to reveal the time and place. As I saw it cold, not knowing anything about the story, I had to come to the gradual conclusion (based on music, costumes, lack of computers, etc) that this was the late 80s or early 90s. It was the presence of certain Nirvana songs that cinched the early 90s vibe.The film strips out a lot of little details about Charlie's family. This is to be expected, as in adaption, even of a short novel like this, something has to go. These changes thin out the parents and sister to cut outs. Sad, but there really isn't much else Chbosky could have done. He also stripped out most of the sexuality. A producer generated change? Probably, but the I liked the sudden dashes of it in the novel. A few of those tidbits stuck with me. But most importantly, the de-sexualization washed out the "twist." It was so subtly handled in the film for fear of offending that I half-missed it, only fully realizing after the credits.There are also subtle character shifts. Charlie is a little more passive and trending toward schizophrenic in the novel. Sam a little more broken in the film. The sister is meaner in the book (although she comes around). It's hard to say how much of this is in the writing and how much is what the actors bring to bear. Some characters, like Patrick (who really is a great character), come through 110%.Overall, if you like teen films (and I do), see this one. It's several standard deviations above the mean.Andy Gavin, author of The Darkening Dream and Untimed

To say I loved this book would be an understatement. To say that this story opens your heart would not do it justice. Charlie's coming of age story of his life is a familiar one. You may not have been the super introverted teen but maybe you did possess some awkwardness. You may not have lost your best friend but perhaps you've been around death. You may not have been molested but you struggled with your emotions at some point. The point is, the story is so relevant that it can be tailored to any individual's life. I've experienced this novel three separate times across 3 stages of my life, having a different perspective each time. I've experienced this novel as an introverted high schooler, as a depressed adult in my early twenties, and then again right before I became a graduate student. I've since listened to the audiobook an additional three times and I've seen the movie more times than I can recall. The story can be heartwarming and yet concerning. At times you'll feel so empathetic for Charlie that your hear is tearing out of your chest. You can feel what he feels. And you want for him what you feel he's so deserving of. No matter what stage of your life you're in, whether you're 15 or 45, you can place yourself in a similar situation that will have its own consequences, it's own repercussions, or its own triumph. And you will become instilled which a greater self-confidence and apprecitation for what you're doing in your own life, or what you wish to achieve, or what you're trying to dig yourself out from. This story exudes a sense of clarity through you, and you recognize that as it slowly moves along.

I just finished watching this movie, and it was the best I've seen in a long time. The actors were perfect in their roles- Logan Lerman was stunning as Charlie, I don't think anyone could have portrayed him better. Ezra Miller also was perfect as Patrick, he played the part so well and put so much emotion into it.Logan Lerman made Charlie come alive. He really became Charlie for the movie, and showed his characters nerves, sadness, and other emotions so well. He made Charlie seem even more relatable in the film than he was in the book.Several parts of the film were different from the book. For example, Charlie seemed to have a better relationship with his sister, and his siblings had names, which they didn't in the book. The moments right before Charlie goes to the hospital were also different from the book, but I think they were done well.For me one of the saddest parts of the film was the way Patrick and Brad's relationship had to end. Their relationship in the movie stayed very true to the book, but it was difficult to see how sad their breakup made Patrick. Again, Ezra Miller was perfect in that role.I would give this movie more than five stars if I could! It really was that good. I will be watching it again soon. I hope that many people will watch or have already seen this film, because it is an excellent story with wonderful acting and teaches important lessons.