Released on: September 21st, 2012.

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Director: Stephen Chbosky

Stars: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, and Paul Rudd

Our Rating: A

From first kisses to first high school friends to first tries, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is an unforgettable movie/book about a freshman boy named Charlie (Logan Lerman). With the common issue of timidness and anxiety along the way, the 15-year old boy begins high school and is ready to change his life around. Throughout his journey of his first year in high school, he writes letters to an anonymous friend about his feelings. All the letters are found in the book.

That same summer before starting school, he never spoke to anyone outside of his family, meaning the only people he knows at school is his sister and her abusive boyfriend. At first, Charlie enters his freshman-required shop class and finds in his class a senior named Patrick (Ezra Miller) who is currently the class clown.  Classes later, Charlie connects with his English teacher, Mr.Anderson (Paul Rudd), who influences his skills in literature. Afterwards, Sam (Emma Watson), Patrick’s step-sister, is sitting on the bleachers besides her step-brother at a football game when they befriended Charlie. When the two seniors invited Charlie to a party, he knew that he fulfilled one of his dreams: to have a friend.

At the party, Charlie admitted one of his darkest secrets to Sam after he ate the cannabis brownie and got high. Sam, feeling sympathy for the teenager, decided to change his life around by allowing him into her group of friends. This assures that Charlie now has people he can count on and avoids putting weight of the world only on his shoulders.

Finally being happy with loving friends that surround him, Charlie couldn’t have asked for anything better. But everything changed when things went wrong with Charlie and Sam after what happened at another party they attended, and Charlie was left alone once again. The only friends that guided him through his rough patch were his vintage typewriter and all the books Mr.Anderson would give him to read at home.

In comparison to the book, the movie was directed very well. Although, they did have obvious differences. The book was filled with all the letters Charlie wrote to the anonymous friend, but the movie actually showed everything Charlie experienced as said in those letters. Also, the movie shows the feelings and expressions of the other characters. Even with their differences, they are very similar. Both are shown in Charlie’s point of view and are precise with the description written in the book.

The movie in total made $33,384,127 worldwide according to Box Office Mojo. This must be because of the actors found in the movie and what an excellent job they did with the roles. Logan Lerman had the advantage of appearing so young and had the trait of being shy and quite, just like Charlie. For Emma Watson, she was a natural at acting like the typical senior you can find at any high school. With all the energy and positive attitude, you couldn’t tell if she is really 23 or 18! Last but not least, Ezra Miller related to Patrick because the actor himself is bisexual and he went through bullying; thus  it made the movie easier for him to star in.

But don’t most movies contain that happily-ever after endings? Yes, but to be able to know what happens in the end, go watch the movie about the wallflower who blossomed. This modern-classic is one of the most recommended when looking for a spine-chilling and heart-warming movie. In Charlie’s case, blossoming and maturing is the best perk of being a wallflower.