When the marketing folks at Summit Entertainment first sat down and watched 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower', Stephen Chbosky's film adaptation of his cult young adult novel, I'm not sure they knew what to do. What they had was a gem of a film that probably soared above their expectations of a precocious indie flick. A comedy drama about a 15-year-old dealing with extreme social anxiety problems and making friends with a flamboyantly gay senior and his step-sister, herself battling low self-esteem, is very understandably hard to market. So what they did was, on reflection, very clever indeed. The film was presented in the trailer and on buses as a 'Juno'-esque 'outsiders coming together' piece of Hollywood cheese that the studio knew people would go and watch. They then let the reviewers bring in the rest of the audience that would assume the film wasn't for them. And of course, having Emma Watson didn't hurt...
I must precede the rest of this review by saying that I absolutely love the film and its big earnest heart to bits, and it begins and ends with the three lead performances. Logan Lerman as protagonist Charlie is endearing from the very first scene, playing awkward innocence to perfection. His performance as he discovers a new social world, all the while fighting inner turmoil, is never anything but completely compelling. There's no sign that her time at Hogwarts has badly affected Emma Watson either, as both her grasp of character and American accent convince greatly. She manages to poignantly hint at the extent of Sam's bruises, and the chemistry between herself and Charlie is tender and somehow feels unique - despite the love interest long being a genre staple. And then there's Ezra Miller. Best known for playing the psychopathic titular character in Lynne Ramsay's 'We Need To Talk About Kevin', he could not be further away from that role, always having a zinger to toss into the mix to uplift situations - and the film. Miller's interpretation of Patrick is the perfect final cog in the trio, and his ability to mix high comedy with a grounded character is what helps the film hit its unique tone.
What is particularly impressive about 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' is that it is always dancing on the edge of cliché and coming out triumphant. It shouldn't work - first loves, teen suicide, abuse, outcasts - but it just does. It's all because the movie is clearly a labour of love from director Chbosky, and he truly understands what being a teenager is like. Even the takes on things such as Patrick's homosexuality seem refreshing. What lines seem like clunkers in trailer ("Let's go be psychos together!"/"We accept the love we think we deserve.") ring true when contexualised and rolling off the tongues of the fine cast.
The film also has a wicked sense of humour - when you're not being touched, you're laughing. They're not afraid to go dark for laughs (a speech about Charlie wanting terminal cancer is blackly hilarious), and the repartee between the characters is always tinged in a gentle humour, especially when Patrick is around. It goes a long way in winning over the audience to invest in the more serious moments. During the second screening of the film I went to, the audience were even trying to laugh at the emotional moments, before the repercussions of them became apparent. The contrast between light and dark make the emotions felt by the viewer even more powerful.
And boy, does the film have an emotional gut punch towards the end. For someone who has read the book, and who knows the twist the film alludes to throughout, I felt a genuine sense of dread. Said twist comes off better in the film than in the book in this reviewers opinion, and when the moment comes, I was not the only person in the cinema shedding a tear or fifteen. That's a testament to the quality of the film. On the other end of the spectrum, the film has several moments of cinematic euphoria (I'm looking at you homecoming dance, and tunnel sequences). The movie works primarily as a visceral experience for the viewer, and since it's about teens and their heightened emotions, that's the way it should be.
If I really wanted to I could quibble. Some of the lines, while better in the film than the trailer, still come off a little clunky. Also, it can sometimes feel there's one trauma too many, and the final twist didn't hit me quite as hard on a second viewing (read: I didn't weep).
That's all a little redundant however, because 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' is a beautiful film. This kind of thing won't seem like a lot of people's cup of tea, but the movie just resonates with you so strongly. So I cheer 'OMG best thing ever' along with the rest of the target demographic, and for those older folks, I'm sure there's a warm nostalgia to be found in Charlie's coming-of-age. Brilliant stuff.
*****
Tara x
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