Movie Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Written by Madison Bueno

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a coming of age movie that stars Logan Lerman (Charlie), Emma Watson (Sam), and Ezra Miller (Patrick) that was created in 2012. This movie is about Charlie, a shy freshman, who is trying to navigate his way through his first year of high school. He makes friends with these two seniors, Sam and Patrick, who teach him about friendship, love, loss, and the difficulty of growing up. Sam and Patrick become a safe-space for Charlie which allows him to become more confident and makes him feel less alone and more understood. The movie as well as the book shows the emotional struggles that Charlie faces like the search for his identity. Through his letters in the book, he tries to cope with his troubles and process them to try to understand who he is. The movie and book explore the themes of mental health, trauma, self-discovery, complexity of friendships, and love. 

The title The Perks of Being a Wallflower reflect Charlie’s life, of always feeling like an observer rather than a participant. Being a wallflower means being quiet, reserved, and considerate of others. Charlie might find that being a wallflower has helped him become the person that he is. He observes people’s struggles, which ultimately helps him grow as a person and helps him explore his identity. As the book and movie progress, Charlie becomes the opposite, he starts becoming an active participant in his life.