“Wallflower” teaches lessons, entertains

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a movie based on a book of the same title written by Stephen Chbosky. It follows the story of an introverted freshman named Charlie (Logan Lerman) as he explores the changes of growing up. Although this coming of age story has potential to be stereotypical, it is anything but trite.

The movie opens on Charlie’s first day of high school as he is writing a letter to an undisclosed person, telling them about his dread for 1,385 days of high school. Charlie does not have any friends, so he spends much of his first days alone. His sister does not sit with him, and his brothers’ friends do not acknowledge his existence. The only person with whom he makes a connection is his English teacher.

Then, Charlie meets Patrick (Ezra Miller) in shop class and is introduced to Patrick’s step-sister Sam (Emma Watson) at a football game. The quirky pair immediately includes him in their post-game plans and they quickly adopt Charlie into their social circle.

Patrick, Sam and their friends are not similar to typical high school students in many ways – they love old music and avoid cliques.

They have fun, regardless of what anyone else may think of them. Through his friendships, Charlie finds he is able to relax and learn about who he is; he even sort of enjoys high school.

The story encompasses many teen issues including drug and alcohol use, depression and suicide, and abusive relationships; but also emphasizes first love, friendship and support.

This movie far exceeded my expectations for a coming of age film. All three of the main characters – Lerman, Miller and Watson – were the product of fantastic casting, as well as the supporting actors.

They all played their roles extremely well, Lerman as a socially awkward outsider and Miller and Watson as his eccentric and loveable senior friends who teach him about the real world.

The film was authentic. There was no sugar coating. The characters were genuine people with real problems who faced loneliness, depression, joy and a full range of emotions.

Throughout the course of the movie, Charlie’s mental illness is introduced and further explained as he copes with the suicide of his best friend, the death of his aunt and his childhood trauma.

Mental illness and relational abuse tend to be socially taboo subjects, so the movie’s exploration of the topics serves as a refreshing and meaningful call to dialogue in the real world.

The storyline treads through the deep issues avoided by other movies, as well as society, and forces viewers to give them a second look.

This movie can be found in Redbox and is a fantastic movie night choice for anyone who craves a heartfelt and untraditional story about finding oneself.