Monday, October 15, 2012

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

This morning I saw The Perks of Being a Wallflower, starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson.

Charlie (Lerman) longs for companionship because something in his past caused him to shut down socially.

Sam (Watson) made many mistakes in her past, but has found solace in her friends and her bestie stepbrother Patrick (Ezra Miller).

When Patrick befriends Charlie, Sam is the one who brings him out of his shell, which causes Charlie to fall in love with her. Of course, as in any teenage story, Sam already has her eyes on another guy, so they just remain friends.

Charlie loves his new life, though his past never stops fully haunting him. The remainder of the film lets the audience navigate this brave new world with him—and its inevitable road bumps.

What's so refreshing about the wonderful script that Stephen Chbosky (who also wrote the novel) has created is that it's painfully realistic.

There are major themes explored in this film—virginity, bullying, homophobia, child abuse, accident trauma and promiscuity, just to name a few. But none of these overwhelming topics ever cloud the story or its progress. The lives of these characters just keep moving along as they would if they were living, breathing souls.

It doesn't hurt that the cast is phenomenal.

Logan Lerman has eyes so sweet, you'll ache for his every setback

No comments: