A few weeks ago I saw The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and it lived up to my very high expectations. Some of you may be more familiar with the young adult novel, and the author of that novel finally adapted it into a screenplay. Let me preface my breakdown of the movie with my theory on why this movie matched all of my expectations as a huge fan of the novel. Stephen Chbosky, the author of the novel, also wrote the screenplay, produced, and directed the movie. I believe that the author's significant role in every aspect of the movie led to its booming success. I find that movies based on books so often fall short of expectations, and can do more disrespect than homage to the stories they are meant to portray. In this case, the fact that the author took an immense amount of time to create his story in a new medium, led to one of the best film adaptations of a novel that I have ever seen. It makes me wonder why more director's don't incorporate the original writer's in the film-making process. Then again, most novelists probably do not know a great deal about film making or the screen-writing genre, but who knows. It would be nice if great books weren't butchered when made into movies. I guess the bottom line here is that Stephen Chbosky is a ridiculously talented and artistic individual to have accomplished this feat as original writer, screen writer, producer, and director.
And now to the movie. Perks represents a young man's struggle to adapt to the high school social scene. Charlie, an awkward yet intelligent ninth grader, finds himself very short on friends due to some unfortunate circumstances. After a couple of tough weeks Charlie finally makes two friends in Patrick and Samantha, who introduce Charlie to a fast and fun social scene filled with parties, get-togethers, and even some rocky horror picture shows. While Charlie becomes closer to Patrick and Sam, he experiences many difficult situations with drugs, alcohol, and a few different love interests. Along the way Charlie has the guidance of his English teacher (played by Ball Rudd) who while enriching Charlie's education by providing him additional novels and assignments, also gives Charlie some very important advice on life.
For me, the movie is a cult classic for someone who grew up in the 90s and 00s. Anyone can relate to a number of the characters in Perks, while also feeling nostalgic remembering the awkward and fun moments in High School. All of the main characters put forth masterful performances. This isn't surprising being that Chbosky waited years until he could find the perfect cast to bring his novel to life on the big screen. Make sure you see this movie if you enjoy coming of age stories of the difficulties of high school. Great movie.
