This film pleasantly surprised me because let's be honest, it doesn't exactly scream testosterone explosion military awesomeness. In fact, for those who have seen the trailer, what oozes from the dark images is some rather depressing footage. I'll put it this way, this film is no light-hearted comedy or raucous buddy flick; this story is a very deep and thought provoking drama centering around something many of us can sympathize with: being the outcast.
Can't you just feel the loneliness?
The story centers around Charlie (Logan Lerman, Percy Jackson) the new freshman face in high school trying to survive the halls, counting down each day until his graduation, only 1,385 days to go, WOOHOO!! Charlie has a social setback because he had spent a significant amount of his recent time in a hospital dealing with a mental breakdown following his best friends death, so when he arrives for his first day of high school he is already tarnished because of the stigma behind being hospitalized as well as the new guy; to his fellow schoolmates he is damaged goods. Health issue+new guy issue+smarty pants= X, solve for X (Hint: not popular). As is the case with most stories fictional and non-fictional, Charlie soon discovers a group of people whom embrace his personality and quirks; one of whom is none other then Emma Watson (Hermione Granger).
As I'm sure you can guess, Charlie and Sam (Watson's character) become very close, and in a few instances are romantically close. The only problem is that Sam and Charlie's other friends, an eclectic bunch of rag tag individuals, are all seniors. This makes the story more straightforward in that we know, and so does Charlie, that this friendship will split apart as the older group moves on to college. It is safe to say that the "romance" between Charlie and Sam, although not made-up or one sided, is in fact limited, especially since Sam seems to be dating some older guy. Three sides equal a triangle! This part of the story was a little far-fetched; even though it's not uncommon for a high school senior to be dating a college student, it is however strange for that same high school senior in that same college-guy relationship to be romantically involved with her freshman friend. Given that this is an eclectic bunch they seem to be more accepting of the idea of a senior girl having feelings for a freshman guy and vice versa, however, I don't know how high school was when this film was set (the '90s), all I know is that when I was the freshman, this did not seem to be happening all too frequently or for that matter, ever. Oh, how the times they are a changing, take it away Bob Dylan!
Instead of relying on crazy technological or intricate camera moves or sequences, magical CGI forests, hi-speed fight scenes or a bazillion gallons of blood and gore, this film stuck to basic camera and editing tricks. One such thing this film did, which is nothing "new" but also not that easy to do, is "matches on action". A match on action occurs when the camera cuts from something like a hand putting a communion wafer into ones mouth, to the same hand placing a strip of Acid into one mouth. What we the viewer sees is one movement, which then transitions into another scene. When the camera pulls away we see that Charlie is no longer in church but instead at a party. This is utilized with similarly shaped items or similar motions: a close-up of a face screaming to a close-up of a face yawning. Similar looks but two completely different meanings within the story. This technique aides itself to the carry-over of one idea to another; keeps the flow of time moving, preventing it from becoming slowed or chunky.
Note the bone and spaceship are similarly shaped. So to cut from the bone to the spaceship denotes similarities in the objects as well as continuity within the story line.
Besides using "classic" transition techniques, The Perks of Being a Wallflower was one solid story from start to finish. It relied on a masterful script to engage the audience which allowed the characters to connect to the viewers, and since this film was adapted from the novel of the same name, one would expect the story to be powerful. The dialogue was very crisp and proper for the situations, nothing was forced or awkward, certainly no Chasing Mavericks. The story had numerous plot twists throughout, and yet by the time the credits rolled I was left with no questions. When this film ended my CEO asked me what I thought of the movie, my brain was temporarily frozen as I searched for something negative to say. After this brief moment of silence I came up with, "It was amazing!" This was a rather amazing moment indeed, because I went into this film fully expecting to be blown asleep, not blown away, and to be honest, the word amazing isn't exactly being used to describe most movies flowing out of Hollywood these days.
What is a great script without a great cast? I would have to say that the cast of this film was rather spectacular as well. I was reluctant about Percy Jackson and Hermione Granger starring in such a deep adult film because, they seemed "soft" too "Disney".
I mean come on! You can't Expelliarmus out of the fact that neither of these two pictures make you think serious adult dramas are possible, am I right?
Even though the cast was initially a little suspect, those hesitations disappeared relatively quickly from this film. It's weird because this group of rebellious teens seemed almost too generic on the surface: a stoner, a goth girl with half shaved head and piercings, a gay guy, an outcasted awkward kid, Hermione, etc. but once their individual characteristics came forth and they were allowed within the story to become a specific part of the group, they really turned into a very well-rounded circle of friends. Each character/friend had their own personality traits which when brought to the surface of the overall story helped add to the others, thus strengthening and ultimately morphing everyone else so that their personal boundaries became softer and more easily penetrated by the others; a cohesive unit. As I said before, this story was very solid, and there were no stones unturned come the credits; all questions answered, thankfully.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower really was the complete "heroes journey". The hero, Charlie, went from being a social outcast- to being a part of a group of individuals where each person shines a little different- back to being alone in high school again. This second time around Charlie is wiser, and more experienced making it easier for him to cope with the idea of being without the friends he has grown to love. Even though in the end of the film all of his friends have gone away to college, you no longer feel sorry for the guy, instead you feel happy for him, almost proud of him. This film is smart, smart, smart.
Final Words: Large Popcorn.
This film was a complete film from start to finish, the only part of this film that was overly flashy was the story. It will make you think, maybe cry, but most importantly leave you satisfied and not looking for more. I recommend this film for when you want something that doesn't push the pace, or for date night. The only regret I have for this film is that I didn't see it earlier.
Until next time, happy viewing!
Review Rating : Based on popcorn sizes; small, medium, large, extra-large
When films get a snore zzz... worth skipping
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