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Thursday, October 4, 2012

Movie Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Directed by: Stephen Chbosky
Screenplay by: Stephen Chbosky
Produced by: Lionsgate Films
In Theatres: September 21, 2012 Limited
Length: 1 hr. 43 min.
Rated: PG-13



A funny and touching coming-of-age story based on the beloved best-selling novel by Stephen Chbosky, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER is a modern classic that captures the dizzying highs and crushing lows of growing up. Starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER is a moving tale of love, loss, fear and hope--and the unforgettable friends that help us through life.

This past Monday, I was able to go see an advanced screening of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, courtesy of Simon & Schuster Canada - big thanks to them and to Kristilyn of Reading in Winter for setting the whole thing up!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower tells the earnest story of socially awkward teen Charlie who gets taken under the wing of a particularly awesome and open-minded group of friends. Charlie relates his tale through a series of letters to an anonymous friend as he fumbles through his freshman year and deals with problems relating to bullying, sex, drugs, and death. It's a tale about dealing with abuse, coping with grief, friendship, celebrating life, and acceptance of one's true self. It really has it all.

The movie was a remarkably loyal adaptation of the book, leaving out only very minor scenes and managing to capture the message and essence of the novel. And it's no wonder, really: the novel's author, Stephen Chbosky, not only wrote the screenplay for the film, but also directed it. And this makes all the difference when it comes to book-to-movie adaptations. The movie was decidedly less racy than the book, presumably to ensure a PG-13 Rating, and Charlie seemed less awkward than he was in the book, but those were the only major differences. It was apparent that a lot of thought went into creating an authentic adaptation that would please the fans of this iconic book.

Everyone is probably curious about how Emma Watson, who played Charlie's love interest, Sam, did in her first major role post-Potter: I couldn't help but fixate on her accent the entire time, which was not always truly American, but I do think she held her own and proved that she has an acting career beyond Potter. The standout star, however, has absolutely got to be Charlie's gay best friend, Patrick - played by Ezra Miller - who gave a brilliant and charismatic performance. Logan Lerman, who played Charlie, also did a great job as the movie's lead; I was quite moved at times during his more emotional scenes.

I always recommend reading the book first before seeing the movie adaptation and it's no different in this case: you should read The Perks of Being a Wallflower because it is poignant and insightful and hilarious and brilliant. BUT if you find that for whatever reason, you are unable to do so, you could probably get away with just watching the movie because it was so faithful. I feel like the Book Police are going to come out and shoot me just for typing that. You really should read the book though - it's a super quick read!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower had an official limited release on September 21, 2012, so it may already be playing in your city. And if not, then it likely will be soon!

Have you read this book or seen the movie yet? If not, do you plan to? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Other Reviews:
xo reads

32 comments :

  1. I am SO glad you liked this!! I trust your judgement Aylee and if you enjoyed this and are saying it stayed true to the story I am glad. I can't wait to see it!

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    1. Yay, I really hope you love it, too!! I'll be interested to hear your thoughts.

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  2. I want to see it but I don't think I'll read it. I have complete faith in Emma. She's so darling and talented.

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  3. I was a little scared off from this book because of its racey nature. From the sounds of your review, I might enjoy the screen play more since its toned down.

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    1. That's a very good point and I think it's definitely an advantage for the movie that it probably has a wider possible viewing audience.

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  4. hahhahaa AYLEE! We will forever argue over this book.... the movie however, I agree with you on. It was quite excellent. But the book... *shakes head* hah! Glad you enjoyed it! :D

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    1. Heh, I would argue that a book that create such differences in opinions and discussions is still a good thing though, right? :)

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  5. I'm so glad you loved the movie. I'm planning on seeing this tomorrow as it was finally released near me today. I can't wait. I LOVE this book. It's pretty much my all-time favorite book and it's one I can read over and over and love every single time. It's really amazing. It's full of such beautiful quotes that I'm always relating back to my life.

    I keep hearing that Ezra Miller does an amazing job, and I'm so happy because I love him. I really need to see more of his films.

    I actually got a chance to interview Stephen Chbosky a few years ago if you are interested in checking it out...it's in the right hand sidebar of my blog. I figured I'd throw it out there since you love the book too.

    I've never been able to review the book on my blog, but I'm definitely going to review the movie sometime next week!

    -lauren

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    1. Oh, I know. I truly loved it, too! The quotes were amazing. In particular, "You accept the love you think you deserve." has got to be one of my favourite quotes of all time. That is one that will stick with me to the end! I knew I wasn't ever going to be able to truly review this book - some are just so good that it's hard to put into words what you loved about it so much!

      This was the first I've seen of Ezra Miller - I'm definitely a new fan now and will hopefully get the chance to check out his stuff!

      That is just BEYOND cool that you got to interview him! Gah, that is SUCH a big deal. Congrats, Lauren! I will definitely check it out next and I will also look forward to your movie review!

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  6. I'll protect you from the book police, Aylee!!

    I don't know why but I've never gotten around reading the book, probably because all the hype around it.

    I'll probably see the movie though :D

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    1. Oh good!! Phew, it's nice to know you have my back, Alex :) Hope you love the movie!!

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  7. I literally just finished reading the book yesterday! It was so, so good and I'm glad to hear that the movie is so faithful. It is hard to imagine Emma Watson with an American accent, and honestly I don't think I'll mind-- I love her accent, because it is just so "Hermione". :) Can't wait to see this movie with my sister, who I'm trying to get to read the book now. Great review!

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    1. Yay, glad you loved it, too! And yeah, it was VERY weird to hear her with her accent. Especially the way she said, "Charlie." It didn't quite sound right... I really hope you enjoy the movie, as well!!

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  8. Oh nice. I read this book ages ago and don't really remember much, so thank you for assuring me it's accurate. Isn't it so much better when the author is involved? I wish all book to movie adaptations were like that.

    I really like Logan Le...(though apparently not enough to remember how to spell his name!)Glad to hear he did a good job. I can imagine him being able to pull off the emotional scenes. I love that you mentioned Hermione, erm, Emma Watson (obviously you can see where my thinking lies). I didn't even connect that she'd have an American accent! Interesting. I almost wish she'd just have kept her British accent if she couldn't fully pull off an American accent.

    Thanks for the great review!

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    1. SO much better! WHy can't they always be? It's THEIR book for christsakes so you would think they would know best...

      I can't remember seeing Logan Lerman in much of anything except Percy Jackson, which wasn't a movie that I LOVED. But I guess I like him overall. And yeah, I think I would have preferred the British accent to the Pittsburg accent she was pretending to have... it wasn't the best ever. But not horrible or anything!

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  9. Great review, Aylee!! I thought the movie was really good and a lot more powerful than the book.

    Thank you for sharing!

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    1. I understand. I loved the book immensely, but I can understand that not everyone did or would!

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  10. Everyone seems very pleased with the film adaptation.

    That's so rare but maybe it's because the author was in control of it.

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    1. Yeah, I would definitely have to say that that is a HUGE part of it. The author knows what his fans want!

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  11. I just read the book in the last month or so. Looking forward to seeing the film, and yes, in part out of curiosity for what Emma Watson can do in a new part. I can't imagine her with an American accent, even a dodgy one, she's so very, very British.

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    1. Heh, yeah I figure a lot of people are curious to see her 1) in something other than HP and 2) with an American accent. She does strike me as incredibly British so hats off to her for the effort at least!

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  12. I didn't even think about Watson being his love interest. The trailers didn't even hint at it for me. Well I guess he might have looked amazed or awed by her so...
    I'm not surprised by Patrick. He sounded like he could be quite the character. How was Mae Whitman? I know I saw her in there. I love her.
    As you can tell I haven't read or watched the movie but I really have wanted to after watching the trailer.
    Good thing Logan was good. Last time I saw a movie with him he was Percy Jackson and well... you know how that turned out.
    She’s Got Books on Her Mind

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    1. Oh, I love Mae Whitman! She plays such dramatically different characters all the time, it seems. I loved her as "Anne" in Arrested Development, especially, haha :)

      And... yeah, Percy Jackson wasn't the most amazing movie ever, but I try not to hold it against him. I thought he did a great job!!

      Hope you enjoy the book/movie!

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  13. Great movie review! Glad that it's faithful to the book (which I still need to read, but the waiting list at my library is crazy long)! I might wait until it releases on DVD before I watch this one, just so I can actually read the book first :)

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    1. Good idea! :) It's not surprising that the waiting list would be so long with the movie coming out, I guess!

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  14. I'm not a big movie watcher but I do plan on seeing this one. I've heard it's pretty good and am glad it does a good job of capturing the book's essence - which I still haven't read.

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    1. Cool, I hope you enjoy the movie/book too, Zahida!!

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  15. I am so excited to see The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I read the book back in March and was so excited to find out that it was going to become a movie. And I agree with you completely - I think it's important to have a director who actually cares about the source material and strives to be faithful to it. In this case, it's pretty awesome that the author is the director. Glad you enjoyed it and I can't wait to see it!

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    1. Yeah, it really made ALL the difference! To have someone who truly cares about the fans reactions and not just purely about making money - that is EVERYTHING. And because this is such a fan favourite, you really needed to have the author putting everything together to make sure it satisfies all those people. I was impressed, for sure!

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  16. Oh, my lord. I plan on seeing the movie, but the book... this book! Had me in tears for the latter half of the book and my heart broke over and over again. I think Ezra Miller would be a fantastic Patrick and having Logan Lerman playing the role of Charlie would be so interesting. I'm mostly excited to see Emma Watson (oh be still my Hermione-loving heart!). But, as per usual, when it comes to movies-made-from-books, always best to read the book first - I'm telling all my friends to!

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    1. Oh, I know! I was listening to the audiobook at work and I was definitely tearing up! You know a book is good when it can evoke that much emotion in you. Heh, I think most people were most excited to see Emma Watson, definitely! Good plan on pushing the book first!!

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