MOVIE REVIEW

Seek Out the "Wallflower"

by Mark Loewenstern

Attention, freaks and geeks of every stripe -- have I got a film for you!  Stephen Chbosky's "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," is set to release on September 21 in New York and LA, and September 28 in other selected cities.  It is a masterful depiction of the pain and the bliss of an isolated high school freshman finding his crowd.

Chbosky wrote the screenplay based on his 1999 novel of the same name, which has been frequently banned from libraries for its frank treatment of sex, drugs, homosexuality and suicide.  Chbosky then tenaciously held out for the right to direct, and the result is an authentic, unadulterated, warts-and-all portrayal of adolescence which somehow leaves you feeling gleeful. 

Beyond that, the cast is stunning.  As the titular wallflower, Logan Lerman gives us the definitive performance of an introvert quietly roiling with hidden, dangerous emotion.  Emma Watson, all grown up since Harry Potter, is pitch perfect as Sam, Charlie's crush, three years older and seemingly out of reach.  And Ezra Miller is a delight as Sam's charismatic stepbrother, Patrick.

If you ever danced the Time Warp.  If you ever had straight and gay friends hanging out together because it was no big deal.  If you ever paid a heavy price just for being yourself, then do yourself a favor.  See "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and remember just how much your friends helped you.

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- Phil Dynan, Director of the OWOA International Goodwill Tour