The Perks of “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, both a novel and a movie, written and directed by Stephen Chbosky is a story based on a traumatized high school freshman, who is taken under the care of a group of seniors. The setting of the movie takes place in a Pittsburgh high school during the early 1990’s . The movie is about the freshman’s time and troubles with these upperclassmen and how he is affected by his life experiences.

During this hour and forty-three minute long movie, viewers will be moved by the story of love, friendship, fear, loss, and trust. This movie reveals the protagonist’s traumatic experience in a way that will leave you with goosebumps and wanting more.

The main character, Charlie, is played by Logan Lerman, who performs exhilaratingly and more than adequately portrays his characters emotions and experiences. Emma Watson and Ezra Miller, who play supporting roles in this motion picture, bring their characters, Sam and Patrick respectively, to life. The movie portrays realistic life situations that affect the youths of today.

One of the major themes in the movie and the novel is music and how the characters can relate to it and to each other. The music that is discussed or played would be considered retro/ indie rock. The music is an alternative to what would normally be listened to in this era. In the movie one character refers to mainstream pop culture as the “Worst Top 40”. Music helps Charlie relate to the group of friends that he has and helps them communicate to each other subtly.

Since the movie and novel came out there has been a spike in certain music that has been listened to. One song that is mentioned in both the movie and book is “Asleep” by The Smiths. There has been a flood of comments mentioning how listeners came to hear of the band and their music because of Perks Of Being A Wallflower. Another song that has gained a lot of new listeners is “Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners. This is one of the songs on the soundtrack of the movie. It was played at a school dance where it gained a lot of attention from viewers. It has a catchy beat and indie rock rhythm that enticed viewers to search for the song.

Overall, Perks Of Being A Wallflower has made $32,198,885 world wide. I would rate this movie as an A- as it was emotionally touching, funny, entertaining and kept you on your toes. The actors were brilliant, the script was well written, the soundtrack was brilliant, the cinematography was good. I would recommend this movie to others.