Charlie is a quiet, shy, freshman starting high school and becoming a small fish in a big pond and you might already feel like this story has been told more times than "Hero saves a princess," but bear with me. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is a great ride to be on, and while it touches on dozens of subjects that have already been covered in literally hundreds of high school/coming-of-age movies, it approaches them in a refreshingly new way and is fueled by the stellar acting performances of the entire cast. Additionally, I hesitate to describe the behavior in this movie as "hipster," as the movie takes place in the early 90s, so people actually did make mix tapes and some even listened to records non-ironically.
As Charlie enters high school in early 90s Pittsburgh, he has fewer friends than most, as his best friend shot himself several months prior to the events of the movie. Additionally, Charlie has suffered from an unspecified mental ailment which made him suffer visions and depression and forced him to spend time in the hospital. Charlie does not feel that he is in an optimal position for friend-making until he sees a senior from his wood shop class and takes the big leap to approach him at a football game.
Patrick is a likable, homosexual senior who is not afraid to be kinder to the freshmen than most other seniors. He quickly begins talking to Charlie, unaware that he is the only friendly contact that Charlie has met at school. Charlie is introduced to Patrick's senior step-sister Sam-wow, alliteration!-to whom Charlie is instantly attracted. Sam, played by Emma Watson, and Charlie begin talking about music and find they have similar tastes, and Charlie feels connected to the two seniors.
Charlie is standing by himself at Homecoming until he sees Patrick and Sam dancing energetically to "Come On Eileen" and decides to join him. They let him into their circle to dance and Charlie feels accepted. They later bring Charlie to a party where he is given a brownie laced with marijuana and amuses Patrick and Sam's friends Mary Elizabeth and Alice. While still high, Charlie reveals to Sam that his friend committed suicide, prompting Sam to tell Patrick, who gives a toast to Charlie, welcoming him into their group.
While driving home, Sam hears a song on the radio-"Heroes" by David Bowie-which inspires here to stand in the back of Patrick's truck as they drive through a tunnel. Charlie admires Sam's ritual as they listen to the song and states that he feels "infinite."
Charlie immediately takes to his new friends, exploring their musical interests through records and mix tapes, as well as seeing "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" live show, in which the seniors have rolls. Charlie later finds himself an actor in the show himself, causing him to further come out of his shell through ridiculous embarrassment. He also participates in their parties and often partakes in drugs and alcohol, including LSD, which almost gets him caught by his parents. Charlie is finally accepted by a group that loves him, and his relationship with Sam continues to develop, though she is dating someone else.
Charlie continues to grow in his new friendships until Mary Elizabeth asks him to the Sadie Hawkins dance and subsequently dates Charlie. Charlie is miserable in the relationship and thinks that he wishes one of them were dying of cancer so he wouldn't have to break up with Mary Elizabeth. He ends the relationships when Patrick dares him to kiss the prettiest girl in the room and Charlie chooses to kiss Sam.
Patrick warns Charlie to stay away for a while to allow the girls time to cool down. Charlie is completely abandoned by his friends and suffers from his visions and depression for several weeks. This low-point in the story is truly gut-wrenching, and I found myself genuinely concerned for how Charlie would fix the situation. He is able to regain the group's trust by attacking several seniors who attacked Patrick and called him "faggot." Charlie regains Sam's friendship as well as the rest of the group.
Charlie sees his friends go through prom and graduation, wishing he was graduating with them. Sam breaks up with her boyfriend and Charlie is able to declare his love to her before she leaves for Penn State. Soon after, Charlie suffers a mental breakdown and the true nature of his mental condition is revealed, causing him to be readmitted to the hospital.
After Charlie is released, he once again sees Patrick and Sam, fresh from two months of college. All three drive through the tunnel again, playing "Heroes" once again. This time Charlie stands in the back of the truck and states that his life is happening now, and he will not be a sad story. He once again feels "infinite."
As "Heroes" faded away from the end credits of this movie, just as all of the fantastic music in this movie faded from my ears, I sat and simply though about this movie. This movie hollowed me out and filled me up again, and I would recommend it to any teenager of any time, because it addresses all the road bumps of friendship, mental illness, family problems, loss, drug use, and love in a way that is as universal as it is beautiful.
While the movie may seem hipsterish at points, the story is well-crafted and emotionally moving. The acting is great all around, but the the true standout performance is Emma Watson. She easily sheds the appearance of Hermione Granger and takes on a real character that is fleshed out and gripping in its execution.
This movie inspired me to explore dozens of new artists that I would have never heard before, as well as inspiring me to write the Rocky Horror review. This movie takes all the obvious trends of "high school movies" and crafts a truly memorable experience that feels genuine and original.
Undoubtedly, I give "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" the rating of Watch It Twice, because that is exactly what I did, and I feel that it was worth every second.
Until next time, give me your thoughts on the film. I love to hear the opinions!
-kmaker
No comments:
Post a Comment