The unbearably long gap between the
November Oscar releases and the Christmas Oscar releases has driven
me all the back to last September in the hunt for something decent to
watch. My quarry: The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Based on his own novel of the same
name, Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower may
appear to be nothing more than a fairly typical high school movie,
and the reason for that appearance is because... well, it is. But
just because something isn't remarkable or revelatory, that doesn't
mean it can't still move and captivate. This particular
youth-oriented drama is a graceful montage of a year-in-the-life,
steeped in all the agony and ecstasy that one year can bring, but
told with the utmost tenderness.
