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| Emma Watson and Logan Lerman |
Well-acted, quirky "Wallflower" appeals to the younger set
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is the latest quirky indie
coming-of-age-film that should resonate with teens and young adults. Based on
the novel by Stephen Chbosky, who also writes and directs his feature debut, the
film is a faithful adaptation of the book, and while some of it falters,
particularly in the final act, the film is both affecting and downbeat. The film
tells the story of Charlie (Logan
Lerman of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief”), a
lonely and depressed teen entering high school without any friends. He
eventually meets two seniors, step-siblings Sam (“Harry Potter’s” Emma Watson)
and Patrick (Ezra Miller of “We Need to Talk About Kevin”), and they all become
good friends, though the face the challenges of growing older and finding their
true love. Likable, well-acted and poignant, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
should find a faithful audience in the young adults the film appeals to. Author
Chbosky is a serviceable director and writer, though he struggles to find the
tone of the film, and its unevenness is apparent in the last act, when the
darker elements, which are glossed over throughout the film, seem sprung on the
audience. Fresh-faced Lerman, in a breakout role, grounds the film well, though
it’s Miller, as the wise-cracking Patrick, who has the best lines, and the
luminous Watson, in her first big post-Potter role, who are the most memorable.
Paul Rudd, Melanie Lynsky, Dylan McDermott, Kate Walsh and in a
tiny role, Joan Cusack, who make brief appearances as the adults in Charlie’s
life. “Wallflower” seemingly takes place in the past, the time
period is never specifically mentioned, also has a decent soundtrack of indie
tunes of past and present that should appeal further to the younger set. “The
Perks of Being a Wildflower,” much like its main character, is flawed, but it’s an
entertaining fit for the early fall movie season.
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