Monday, March 18, 2013

Monday Muse: {Movie Review} The Perks of Being a Wallflower


Watch the movie trailer HERE. :)

Happy Monday, everyone! Last month, I finally got to watch The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Being a huge fan of the book, I was so excited to watch it and I’m glad to say that I’m not disappointed with the result. I know that this comes as a very late movie review, but hey, it can serve as a gentle reminder for those who haven’t watched the movie yet, right? ;)



We accept the love we think we deserve.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an exceptional case – it was originally written, adapted to screenplay, and directed by the same person, the genius Stephen Chbosky. I myself sure would have been interested to watch it even if I had not read the book yet. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of my favorite reads last year. This coming-of-age story deals with heavy subjects such as drugs, abortion, LGBT, and alienation. However, the book still remains light and easy to read, and it feels very personal since the story is written in the form of letters. I promise that when you close the book, you will think of Charlie not as a character, but as a dear friend you're going to miss.



In the movie, Charlie is played by the young actor Logan Lerman. Lerman might not bring to life my adorable, sweet Charlie I met and loved in the book, but he perfectly captured the confused and emotionally unstable Charlie. I liked Lerman’s acting, although I must say that I didn’t love it, but his acting shows clear signs that he will improve even better in the future.

Sam, who is played brilliantly by Emma Watson, is a girl whom I can relate better compared to Sam in the book. In the book, we know Sam only from Charlie’s perspective. However, in the movie we are given special privilege to meet Sam and get to know her from third person’s perspective. Sam is a lot of fun, mistakes, and amends in the book, but she is more a girl with determination to improve herself in the movie. I admire her desire to improve herself – and she succeeded in the end. I understand better why Charlie falls for her, and that’s one aspect I note in the movie version.

Now, onto my newest favorite actor. Ezra Miller is truly, undeniably the star of this movie. He effortlessly brings us Charlie’s best gay friend, Patrick, in a flesh. His acting is what makes this movie one hundred times better. I liked Patrick in the book, but I loved him in the movie. His remarks, antics, and jokes in the movie didn’t seem memorized at all. It’s as if Miller himself could be Patrick in another life and another time. 


I’m so glad that the issues like drugs, violence, and sexuality are treated very carefully in the  movie. The scenes are not explicit at all, and we are left to complete the pieces in our mind. Although I was disappointed to find some scenes in the book are deleted in the movie, but the finished result is quite enjoyable. I’d like to think of the movie version not as the book adaptation, but as a complement to make the book a whole. The movie version may lack things that I liked in the book, but at the same time, it also has things that the book didn’t bring out successfully.

I don’t think it’s possible to compare the movie and the book since they are two different things I wholly enjoyed. If you decide to watch this movie, I recommend you to read the book first. That way, you will enjoy the movie even more since some things may be a bit vague in the movie version. My last advice: buy the DVD or rent it somewhere, because trust me, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is not a movie (or a book) that you would like to miss.

Thank you for reading this week’s Monday Muse! Next week, I’m going to talk about negative reviews and how I tackle it… or rather, how should I tackle it? So stay tune. ♥ Have a wonderful day, everyone! :)

PS: You can watch the deleted scenes of The Perks of Being a Wallflower HERE. :)

12 comments:

  1. Don't worry, I haven't watched the movie yet (or read the book, for that matter!) so your post is the perfect reminder. :) I'm glad you enjoyed watching it! It sounds like Ezra Miller was a great highlight of the film. I don't think I've ever seen him act before. I'm also pretty curious to see what Emma Watson is like in this role. :) Great review, Hilda!

    I'm looking forward to your next Monday Muse post!

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  2. I haven't read the book of this one yet :( It's being shown everywhere though and I really want to. The movie looks like it's going to be amazing!

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  3. I agree with you Hilda, Charlie was a dear friend and watching the movie a week after finishing the book just made all the memories of Charlie opened up again. :'D Logan Lerman was definitely a pretty good match of Charlie and of course Patrick just stole the movie and made it so much better. <3 He was so hilarious! I was actually pretty sad that some of the deleted scenes weren't included but that's okay.

    I'm glad i read your opinions! I think I'm at a minority that I loved the book but was VERY iffy about the movie. Wonderful review, Hilda! Thanks so much for your amazing and lovely comments always! <3

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  4. I didn't read the book, but I did LOVE the movie. I feel as if I won't enjoy the book as much, though, and I actually don't plan to read it. I'm probably making a mistake, and will hopefully get around to it eventually, but I quite honestly felt as if Charlie's moodiness would grate on me in the novel, but came across endearing in the movie. Still, fantastic review, dearest, and I know you enjoyed the book a lot, so it's still on my list, no worries! ;)

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  5. So I haven't read the book yet, or watched the movie. I know, I know, how can I call myself a book lover? xD But in all honesty, your movie review has given me the push to pick up the book! It's so interesting that you think of this movie as a complement to the book, and it definitely seems that way in your review, that this movie is more of a complement than anything. I'm glad you loved Patrick in the movie, he sounds so fantastic, and the guy that played him sounds like a fantastic actor, which is always great to see. I'm so excited to read the book now, Hilda! I'll be taking your advice and reading the book first before I rent the DVD for the movie.

    Lovely review, Hilda! <3

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  6. This wasn't too late at all, it was the perfect reminder that I need to go rent this! =) I'm glad that as a fan of the book you still enjoyed the movie version for what it was and didn't compare them. I haven't read the book yet either but I'm not sure if I'm going to.

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  7. I LOVE THIS MOVIE AND REVIEW!! My favorite scene was the living room routine, when they're dancing :) It makes me smile every single time! And then Charlie joins in and Patrick and Sam make him feel welcomed and comfortable! Ahhh if only real life was like that. Also, I know what you mean about Patrick! Ezra was amazing!! He was so naturally quirky and weird; his acting didn't seem stiff or rehearsed, it seemed native to him :)
    Shae @ Understanding Shae's Story

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  8. I always have to read a book before I watch a movie otherwise I can never get back to the book in the first place! I recently got a copy of Perks of Being A Wallflower, just in time for the movie release but never got time to picking it up, I think I will have to get to it now in time for the dvd release! I'm glad you were able to enjoy the movie just as much as the book Hilda, I get that sometimes they can't keep every single detail the same, but when they are able to keep it as close to the book as possible I am a huge fan! Thanks for sharing this great post with us! :)

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  9. Thanks for the review. I need to read this book and see the movie!
    cheers
    Gwynn
    http://gwynnethwhite.blogspot.com/

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  10. Great review! I loved this movie so much. I'm glad that Chbosky was able to do so much for it since it really is his "baby" in a way. Perks of my all time favorite book, and I could re-read it all the time if I was able. Loved that you got to see more of Sam in the movie too, and I think Ezra Miller is amazing. I'd already loved him but even more now...and I want to see more of his films.

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  11. My existence has been wallflower-free so far, but I'm pretty sure I need to do something about that. I'm sorry, I only skimmed your post because I intend to both read the book and watch the movie very soon and I wanted to go in knowing as little as possible about both.
    I'll come back to read later, though. :)

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  12. Thank you so much for the wonderful review, Hilda! I wanted to watch the movie when it was out but it kinda slipped out of my mind. It sound fabulous, I'm definitely watching it now. Especially for movie-Patrick! :O And I cannot wait to see Emma in a non-Hermione role. So glad she's a great Sam :,D

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