[BLOG] The Perks of Being a Wallflower

[jojojoanne]

I saw this last night and really enjoyed it. Loved the soundtrack too!!

[stuartboy]

1991?!!

No, I'd have said 86 or 87.

Possibly pre-Live Aid (1985) as they hadn't heard of the Bowie?

The first page of the book, in which Charlie is writing a letter to his 'friend', says August 25 1991.

It is supposed to take place 1991-92.

Bet you were good at the TV show "Screen Test" with Michael Rodd. Golly! Remember that?

[jojojoanne]

I do!!!

[The Sparrow]

I thought the point was that he didn't make friends with his peers and this older group of 'misfits' as they called themselves took him under their wing. I also got the impression he might have missed some school so might have been a little bit older than his year group.

My take on it too.
Would also like to add that I loved the music. My toes were tapping to the rousing Come on Eileen although I did almost nod off during the dirge that was The Smiths and the depressing Morrisey.

[havingascreen]

I thought the point was that he didn't make friends with his peers and this older group of 'misfits' as they called themselves took him under their wing. I also got the impression he might have missed some school so might have been a little bit older than his year group.

My take on it too.
Would also like to add that I loved the music. My toes were tapping to the rousing Come on Eileen although I did almost nod off during the dirge that was The Smiths and the depressing Morrisey.

my feet were like that too, i got a row of my daughter! they did need the Smiths Morrisey type stuff to balance it out and give that depressive feel to the set-up though.

[Beate]

http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2012/10/03/th ... er-review/

[TheyCallMeMrGlass]

I didnt get to see any previews of this but I went to see it on its first day of release today.

So this is a coming of age drama, huh? Not exactly a starving genre but I'll have to say this is one of the best I've seen and it was quite a nostalgic throwback to the 80s in the way American Graffiti was a throwback to the 60s. The late 80s was a time when I loved watching teenage angst in movies like Some Kind of Wonderful or Risky Business followed by a horror movie where said protagonists are stabbed or slashed in inventive ways on Elm Street or the likes. Perfect double bills, ah miss those days!

The underlying formula of this film is not significantly different to others in this genre, nevertheless this wasnt a clichéd run of the mill trippy road trip movie (though there is a bit of tripping in this). The main characters have layers which are slowly peeled away as the film progresses and I was very warmed to the earnestness of these characters and their developing stories. The story being told from the point of view from a fresher year student who is an introvert trying to do the best he can to fit in, is as stereotypical of a protagonist you can get but the execution was exquisite, humorous and very realistic, not overdone as is the case with many other films in this genre.

What makes this film standout for me then? I think its a combination of many elements, immaculate direction (the director is also the author of the book this is based on...interesting, only one other example I can think of is Michael Crichton who also directed his own books into movies). The choice of 70s/80s soundtrack perfectly complements the mood. The smoothly flowing narrative plays out with a poetic grace, infusing heart and soul, intrigue and wonderful characters that some of us have met in one form or another in our college days.

To top it off, the three main protagonists are beautifully conveyed. Its great to see Emma Watson able to free herself from the shackles even further from the Hermione persona after her small transition role in My Week With Marilyn. She equips herself well with natural aplomb, giving an earnest and heartfelt performance. I hear negatives about her accent which I find extremely unfair. First of all, I didnt even notice if she has a British or American accent because when you are in a college, students come from different backgrounds and accents are mixed anyway. Secondly, its the performance which enraptures me, not the bloody accent. If we are supposed to criticise accents then we might as well lay it thick on the Sean Connery's Oscar winning performance of an Irish cop who sounded very much like a Scotsman, yet he still got an Oscar...maybe it was because of his performance, huh? But the stand out performer was the other supporting character, Ezra Miller who oozes charisma and I think we'll be seeing a lot more of this fella in future.

There is a revelation at the end but to be honest, while its actually a good one and makes the film even more substantial, it didnt need to have it. I would have been completely satisfied with the movie without it. I also think it drives a somewhat misleading message about certain types of people. [spoiler]I come away from that ending revelation thinking that most people perceives that quiet people must have had a bad childhood or scarred by a sexual assault. There is an element of truth for many of them who do turn out that way as a result of childhood abuse but I do not believe it that's a majority representation. Most quiet people are just simply that by character, its called shyness[/spoiler]

Having said that, I had a wonderful nostalgic time with this film and for that experience I give it a 9/10.

Recommend for those of you who like those Hugh Walters movies, American Graffiti, Some Kind of Wonderful etc.

[Beate]

http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/films/the-p ... 47166.html

[Celini]

One word (well two words): Ezra Miller!
The boy lights up the screen when he's around. Looking forward to see more of him.

About the film now, I think this could have been so much better, a great start (I even thought Emma Watson was good before she rolled down her Hermione) when establishing the 3 main characters and a good ending. The main problem for me was the middle bit, they tried to pack too many things, subplots and characters, and the film seemed quite long, even so the ending is very rushed!

Oh and did I mention Ezra Miller?

7/10

[Chey]

This movie was a lot better than I expected and I thought the twist at the end about the aunt was good.
And of course the memorable quote ... "We Accept the Love We Think We Deserve"!