The Perks of Being a Wallflower

4.5/5

I never read the book, but I really loved this. What could have been another over-told story about the unpopular kid turned into a heartfelt exploration of a boy who actually was misunderstood. It's told in such a way that his heartbreaking story was actually a surprise to me when it was revealed. And that lead to a very emotional movie. It didn't waste time either portraying our main character as a whiney spoiled brat or a misunderstood genious. Rather, it actually portrayed him as average, even in his own mind, and simple in his desires.  Instead of blasting us with a cliche story of high school, it gives us a very nostalgic idea of what high school was like, at least for me. And I had friends in high school. I loved Emma Watson, who while not entirely distinguishing herself as an actress in my mind is still far from unlikable and untalented. The music was also very pretty, with a particularly great soundtrack to the whole thing. There's a lot to talk about from this movie, both about high school and humanity in its simplicity and complexity. It worked, really well.