by Gabriella Kraft

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a very emotionally intelligent movie. You need that emotional intelligence to fully understand the movie and grasp what’s happening as the movie gets more intense.

This film is a single movie with no sequel. It follows Charlie, played by Logan Lerman, who is going through a lot as a freshman, suddenly being befriended by two outgoing seniors, played by Emma Watson and Ezra Miller, who begin teaching him what life is really about.

Director Stephen Chbosky has a habit of making emotionally intense movies; for example: Wonder, Nona, Dear Evan Hansen, Rent, and the live-action Beauty and the Beast. These are all very emotional, high-tension movies.

The film is set in a Pittsburgh suburb in Pennsylvania and cost $13 million. The musical score of the film goes perfectly with the movie; all the song choices fit very nicely. I liked how well they show Charlie’s anxiety, PTSD, and his slowly coming out of his shell and back into it. However, I disliked how they are seniors, and he’s a freshman; it feels like they are grooming him, especially in certain scenes.

It’s a very popular movie with a motion picture and sensitivity rating of PG-13. To showcase how popular it is, some reviews from Rotten Tomatoes say, “I think for the first film this guy who wrote the book and has adapted it for the screen has done a terrific job, and I really found these characters sympathetic.”

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a heavy, heavy book. It contains some of the hardest moments that teenagers face,” stated another critic. “I also think that there’s something so incredibly special about this book that every adult can understand.” 

There were some bad reviews, but “some” as in 2 or 3. There are a rare few who don’t like this movie, and I think it’s because they don’t fully understand it. They may have watched it too young, or they simply think it’s too heavy a topic to be in a movie. Either way, it’s a great movie to watch if you need a good cry or if you just need a really good sad movie.

Some of my favorite quotes from the movie are “We accept the love we think we deserve”, “Things change. Friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody”, “ And in that moment, I swear we were infinite”, and “I would die for you. But I won’t live for you” I feel like quotes really grasp what this movie is trying to convey and just how heartfelt it really is.

I watched this movie at a young age, when I couldn’t fully understand what was going on. But as I rewatch it when I’m older, I fully grasp what’s happening now. It’s such a good movie that I feel like everybody should watch it at least once in their life. It’s crazy what age can do to someone’s understanding of certain subjects.

Movie Review Chart 

Movie Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Ezra Miller

Director: Stephen Chbosky

Writers: Stephen Chbosky

Rated: PG-13

My Grade: A