Tuesday 13 August 2013

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Phil's Five Words for Films

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Based on a novel and a screenplay by the director Stephen Chbosky, this angsty-teen drama has some good performances which help raise it above many 'coming of age' genre pieces. Set in a small American town in the early 1990s where popularity, proms and mix-tapes are more important than anything else that has ever happened, it follows a group of school kids as they struggle through their senior years. It is predominantly a film about belonging, friendship and dealing with life and death as a teenager and it will no doubt strike an emotional chord with many people that grew up during that period. Logan Lerman plays Charlie, a painfully
shy freshman with a recent history of mental illness and a longing for acceptance as he returns to school. Ezra Miller and Emma Watson both give solid performances as a step-brother and sister that take Charlie under their wing and the group of misfit-friends soon find themselves in turmoil as they search for identity and purpose. The story does flow along, albeit slowly but for me it lacked a little something to make it really affecting. I'm sure that there will be many people that will find this film soulful, philosophical and heart-breaking and will watch and quote it time and again (maybe it would benefit from a second watch). I think it is solid enough but nothing amazing. Good accent work by EW.

6 out of 10.
Cert 12A ( uk )
2012.

1 comment:

  1. Good review Phil. Made me cry like a total baby, and I loved it for that reason!

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