In a world of creativity there is a lot of repetition, and a great case of that is the creation of movies after a book has been written, for example The Hunger Games, or Harry Potter. Sometimes, the production of the movie turns out great, and some people may enjoy the movie even more than the book, or it could be the other way around. For Perks of Being a Wallflower for readers there can be a bittersweet impression after watching the movie.
Often there are many similarities between books, and movies. Although, sometimes one rendition can leave things out, and for Perks of Being a Wallflower the movie is a representation of that. Perks of Being a Wallflower’s short run time of 1 hour and 45 minutes compared to the 224 pages of the book can leave readers to feel like moments are missing. Moments like Charlie’s trauma, and the relationship he curates with Patrick are the base blocks of the plot, however the movie seems to skip over these parts offering a summary rather than an in-depth copy of the book.
The story is set in the Pittsburgh area during the early 1990’s and is set through the perspective of Charlie Kelmeckis, a freshman entering his freshman year of high school, played by Logan Lerman. Charlie’s best friend Mike Dobson had committed suicide the year prior leaving Charlie without friends, and having to miss school last year. Charlie’s initial loneliness is displayed in the movie he says, ” Thank you sir, but if my English teacher were the only friend I make today, that would be sort of depressing.” However, Charlie finds his group of friends from two twins in their senior year, Patrick, and Sam played by Ezra Miller, and Emma Stone. The story is centered around Charlie’s growth, and finding himself, experiencing abuse, betrayal, and happiness, and as the school year goes on Charlie creates more friendships, and fights his trauma eventually ending up in a hospital.
Given the fact Charlie is a freshman entering high school students can find some commonalities between the plot, and their life such as finding their friendships, abuse, and living up to expectations. These themes are all things Charlie has to balance in his life, making the movie, and the book relatable in some way.
This review isn’t meant to discredit the movie, but to show a common theme of how readers can feel unsatisfied or that something’s missing when a movie is created from a book. Overall, the movie is a great watch, but if you want an in-depth, and action packed story the book is for you, and high school students can feel connection or sympathy towards the story and Charlie.
