doubled its thirteen million dollar budget when it was released in September of 2012.

The strength and power of this film adaptation can largely be attributed to Chbosky himself,

who wrote his own screenplay, and directed the feature: his first mainstream movie. Opening

with strong and revealing first-person narration, this tightly crafted high school story takes

place in the early 90's, and stars Logan Lerman as a high school freshman who becomes friends

with seniors Emma Watson and Ezra Miller. After his MTV-nominated "breakthrough performance"

in Percy Jackson two years earlier, 21-year-old Lerman is finally able to stretch his talents,

and turns in an absolutely magical and realistic performance as the angsty teen nerd who wishes

to be more than an observer on the sidelines, remarking on finally being spoken to, "I didn't

think anyone noticed me". Following a decade of almost exclusive performances in the Harry

Potter series, Watson has grown up into a beautiful and engaging talent. The two play

off each other wonderfully, and it's for this most basic reason the tired story of high

school politics and teen romance succeeds here so effortlessly. In a large supporting

role, Miller is impressive and amusing as the goofball wingman, rounding out the trio

of young actors with another solid performance. The absolutely killer soundtrack features

a number of classic 80's and 90's hits, used perfectly in every instance, including an

amazing and memorable moment when David Bowie's "Heroes" is blasting as the group drive through

a tunnel late at night. It's these lasting and beautifully shot moments that stitch together

a compelling and enjoyable cinematic experience for all 102-minutes of the film. Perhaps the

most iconic and powerful moment of the entire film is when Lerman repeats sage advice his

teacher Paul Rudd told him, when he shares his feelings to Watson, confessing, "We accept

the love we think we deserve". Although the strength of these scenes depends on your own

adolescent experiences, they are nothing short of goosebump educing. A cluttered plot thread

about mental illness is introduced late, and some other background characters receive little

beyond the most cursory and formulaic developments, but by and large, this carefully paced PG-13

drama is overwhelmingly enjoyable and moving. Almost criminally overlooked when it was released,

the film's oft-repeated prospective on 'infinity' is a perhaps a hint of this film's staying

power: an eventual cult-hit that everyone ought to discover for themselves. "The Perks

Of Being A Wallflower", "Transcendently poignant. Lasting, and relatable." Lets read some of

your reviews, now that you've heard from me.

Our scores for "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower"... a rare double TEN. Unanimous praise was given

to the performances, story, and execution, you thought this film was "Amazing". Passionately

directed, with a hopeful and honest tone, but still flawed, I hesitated to give this

picture my highest rating... but honestly, there were few pictures from 2012 I enjoyed

more. I thought it was "Amazing" as well.