And in that moment, I swear we were OVERWHELMED WITH EMOTIONS

Dear friend, if you went to see The Perks of Being a Wallflower and didn’t fall in love with Charlie, you are wrong. In 2010 I read Perks for the first time, it was one of those books were I reread the last few pages when I finished and had to sit for a few moments to collect my thoughts. Once I had done this I made my friends read it too. If you don’t know anything about the story it isn’t a light hearted teen comedy. Following in a similar tradition as The Catcher in the Rye, Charlie writes letters to an anonymous recipient during his turbulent first year of high school.

I had confidence in the film being able to adapt the book well as its author wrote the script and directed the movie. I was right to feel this way as watching the film I found the novel’s tone encapsulated perfectly. The casting, although I was uncertain of some choices (Emma Watson as Sam) worked wonderfully. Watson’s American accent was strong throughout the film and her Sam was brilliant but I would have preferred a less well known face in the role. However, it is Logan Lerman’s Charlie and Ezra Miller’s Patrick are what shall be truly memorable. Miller whose chilling performance as the teen serial killer Kevin in 2011’s We Need To Talk About Kevin is reversed as he plays the loving, eccentric gay best friend of Charlie. Patrick’s playful nature is developed further in the film and as a reader of the book it felt like the Perks world was being expanded, showing its characters in a clearer and refreshing light.  Logan plays Charlie as the gentle and anxious character that he is, hitting the right emotional tones which the audience in turn experience too.

Although I would have like to have see Charlie’s other relationships a little more, such as his friendship with his English teacher, not everything we love in a book can go to screen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower was handled delicately by its author and respecting its fans whilst making the narrative more accessible to newer audience members. Therefore, to me, the film is triumphant and I would easily recommend.