Film Review: 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'

Hi all!

The other week when I was in ASDA with some friends, I saw that they were selling this film on DVD for £5 and I was in the mood for an impulse treat! So I bought it, but I've been too busy (or tired!) to watch it... until Friday just past!

I came home from Orchestra rehearsals and just wanted my bed but I decided to sit up a while and watch this film! I read the book by Stephen Chbosky (who also directs the film!) in July 2013, but it has taken me until now to finally watch the film! My friend had told me that it was one of her favourite films, AND Emma Watson is probably my favourite actress, so I was extremely keen to watch it for numerous reasons!

It was worth the wait! I was tired, so I plan to re-watch it when I can focus a bit better... well I'm sure I'll re-watch it several times since I now own the DVD! I think I might even re-read it since I own the book too.

It was bizarre seeing Emma Watson play this character, as it is so different from anything I've ever seen her in before. Although she was as perfect as always (ok, I may have a teeny tiny girl crush on her haha!) I'll be honest and say I don't think the role of Sam, as was in the film, gave her the opportunity to achieve her full potential and it isn't my favourite performance of hers.

Logan Lerman (Charlie)

But that was sort of the magic of the film: it was simple, but at the same time meaningful. Yes, it was another 'growing up' story, but I'd argue it was unique, and all the while I was thinking that Chbosky had taken a totally different angle from the likes of John Green.

I adored Logan Lerman's (pictured left) portrayal of principal character Charlie. He achieved the perfect level of awkward and he is very cute (in my opinion!).

The character of Charlie had experienced trauma as a child that left him very mentally unwell, but aside from this his experiences were relatable- feeling low, feeling lonely and just trying to get through the days sometimes. His integration into a welcoming friendship group made me glow inside, and I genuinely felt that there is hope for everyone, for every outsider. I personally am lucky to have a wonderful group of friends, but I sometimes find new company awkward and 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' addressed the 'fitting in issue' fantastically.

Perhaps my favourite character was Patrick, played by Ezra Miller. He was just so individual a character that you can imagine him being a real person, not a stereotype put in to every story to keep it going, if you know what I mean!? Another issue dealt with was finding your feet with homosexuality, because Patrick is gay and in a secret relationship that leaves him later feeling embarrassed and ridiculed. Although I think that the book I recently reviewed 'Will Grayson, Will Grayson.' was a superior addressee of homosexuality and the difficulties for young boys particularly, I think that the result of its presence in this film was less about the homosexuality itself but the humiliation present between peers in every high school in the world.

On the topic of relationships and love, TPOBAW also successfully deals with uncertainties of romantic feelings. Sam wants to be loved, but has made her fair share of mistakes along the way. In Charlie she sees a friend, a brother... and the ideal love? Or not? Charlie is undeniably devoted to her from the start, but Chbosky doesn't try and pretend its as easy as happily ever after. Charlie is a newbie to the dating scene and his first kiss, for example, is a central scene.

Admittedly, the luck of Chbosky's character's is still immensely better in terms of romance than I, for example, am yet to experience, but at least he doesn't try and pretend it's as easy as boy meets girl, or boy meets boy or girl meets girl!

I could, surprisingly, say much more about this film. In some ways, I think it tries to cover too many issues, but mostly I feel that every element finds a slot and the viewer can easily accept that none will be explored in detail. As the DVD blurb says:

 "THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER is a modern classic that captures the dizzying highs and crushing lows of growing up."

"THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER is a moving tale of love, loss, fear and hope- and the unforgettable friends that help us through life."

Now I'm off out to meet some of my friends.. xx

Book Review: 'Will Grayson, Will Grayson' by John Green and David Levithan

Just finished this book about half an hour ago, so hoping the details are still fairly vivid in my memory, but we'll see!

Having read two other novels by John Green novels, I have wanted for a while to read more. My sister bought 'Will Grayson, Will Grayson' a year or more ago but I didn't really remember about it until I was looking for something to read. It took me a while longer than it usually would to get through it, due to study for prelims (which are all done now... yay!), but there was no rush.

Brief Summary: two will Grayson's meet coincidently. Both at similar stages of their lives and fighting different battles, the novel follows them through good times and struggles with the aim of providing truthful conclusions on the topic of love: romantic, family, and friendship.

I'd never read a novel by more than one author before, or at least not as far as I can remember. It turns out that Green and Levithan wrote alternating chapters, each in charge of bringing to life one of the Will Graysons, but I didn't realise this until I was close to completing the book which indicates that the novel flowed and interlinked well.

One of the two Wills' chapters were written entirely in lower case. This annoyed me to start with but soon just became a natural part of the reading of the book- and was exceptionally useful when I lost track of which Will was narrating!

The main theme that grasped me in the novel was that two of the characters (one of the Will Graysons and the ginormous best friend, ironically named Tiny, of the other WG) were gay, and this was a topic which played a major part in the storyline. Having never actually read a book from the point of view of a homosexual character (again, as far as I remember!) this was very interesting for me, and a nice change. I felt that difficulties for young gay boys and their coping mechanisms, not that I'm an expert on the topic, were dealt with well and made for an interesting read.

Furthermore, mental ill health was a fundamental pert, and this always interests me when its handled sensitively. The descriptions of the character in question's difficult episodes was so vivid and realistic, at least for someone unable to entirely understand what it must be like. What I liked about it was that, although mental illness helped the reader to relate to the character, it did not become so central to the plot that I would go as far to say that that was what the book was about, because it wasn't.

The book was about growing up, finding your feet, and friendship, for the most part. It mostly related well to actual teenage life. I would say that I was slightly disappointed by the ending, as I found it a little bit cliché/cheesy and felt that the authors tried a bit too hard to impart wisdom, as opposed to allowing the reader to naturally draw their own meaning from what was a powerful overall story line.

But the entire thing certainly had me hooked and I would highly recommend- particularly if you're in your teens or struggling with love, relationships, mental illness or your sexuality.  It may be my favourite John Green novel so far, but they're all so different it's very difficult to make an accurate comparison. Either way, it's fairly fabulous.