On October 5th, the novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower will come to life on the big screen.
The book was originally published February 1, 1999, and has been popular ever since. It was written by Stephen Chbosky who also wrote the screenplay and is the director for the film.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a story about a boy who’s watching high school pass him by. It talks about many issues which some parents are uncomfortable talking to their teens about such as sexuality, drugs and alcohol, suicide, domestic abuse, and depression. This is definitely not another movie to watch just for enjoyment. Most people will come away with a different perspective on things.
“Charlie” (Logan Lerman) is the alias the main character uses to write letters to an anonymous receiver in which he tells the stories of what goes on in his everyday life during his freshman year of high school. He’s more of a wallflower which is someone who doesn’t have much of a social life besides watching things going on around him. He and his best friends, Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), go through life listening to music by The Smiths and watching movies such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show. They’re definitely unique teenagers.
Many will connect to the characters and the issues they face. The movie definitely does not attempt to glamorize or judge any of these issues; it just shows how the characters react and how they try to deal with them.
Because of the recent news of the movie adaption, the book has become more popular. Along with this, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Smiths, and quoting the book about being “infinite” have become increasingly popular.
The MPAA did previously give the movie an R rating because the topics they talk about are mature for most preteens, but the appeals board changed it to PG-13 for “mature thematic material, drug and alcohol use, sexual content including references, and a fight – all involving teens.”