The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) starring Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller, Emma Watson, Mae Whitman, Paul Rudd, Dylan McDermott. Charlie (Lerman) is a high-school freshman who falls in with a crowd of seniors -- a note of unreality I found it hard to forget about while watching this movie. His friend Patrick (Miller) is gay, and his first love Sam (Watson) is dating someone else. Charlie himself has just come out of a mental hospital, and has a fear of "blacking out" and doing crazy things while he's out. Somehow the film comes together and makes for a touching story, which reminded me obliquely of "Ordinary People." I did find it hard to identify with high school students from the late '80s-early '90s, and their deep affection for "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" left me lukewarm. Still, this was a pretty good movie. (Subtitles in English are available, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B