Emma Watson Coming Of Age Movie

PHOTO PROVIDED Emma Watson (Sam) and Logan Lerman (Charlie) star in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower, ” a coming of age film set in Pittsburgh.

She has been home for only a handful of days, but I have quickly learned that choosing a show or movie is not my decision alone. There needs to be a consensus and being the only male in the house — not counting the dog — I am typically outvoted, 2 to 1.

Since that is the case, I was subjected to “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” earlier this week. The 2012 coming of age film was filmed in Pittsburgh. I remembered watching it once before, but fell asleep. Not a good sign. However, I decided to give it another shot. This time, I stayed awake through the whole thing — progress!

Perks Of Being A Wallflower' A Thoughtful Coming Of Age Tale

The best way to describe “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is that it feels like something that I would have absolutely loved as a teenager. The film is about a misfit high school freshman who is awkward in every sense of the word. While he’s not a classic movie nerd, he’s pretty close. Until, however, he meets a group of older kids who take him under their wings.

The story, which set in the early 1990s, tells the story of Charlie (Logan Lerman), who is getting ready to embark on the adventure known as high school. It’s a theme that we can all relate to, right? We’ve all been there — navigating the hallways, trying to learn and find our friend group.

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is based on Stephen Chbosky’s best-selling young-adult novel, which was published in 1999. Why was it set and filmed in Pittsburgh, you may ask? Well, Chbosky grew up in the Pittsburgh suburbs. For that reason alone, I could relate to this film. If only it were set in the 1980s!

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The novel was so near and dear to Chbosky’s heart that he wound up directing the film. I haven’t read the book, but I am guessing that the film turned out exactly the way Chbosky envisioned.

Early into the film, Charlie meets Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller). At first, Charlie believes they are a couple. However, he quickly learns that they’re half-siblings. And even though there is a pretty big age gap (freshman to high school senior), Charlie begins to fall for Sam. We learn that Charlie has been on medication for depression. The death of his aunt (Melanie Lynskey) has a lot to do with that, but not in the way you might expect — so pay close attention to the plot, which weaves quite the web.

Through Sam and Patrick, Charlie is able to meet the aggressive Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman) and a pothead named Bob (Adam Hagenbuch). They aren’t the best role models for Charlie, but that’s OK. Mary Elizabeth has eyes on Charlie, even though he is clearly fixated on Sam.

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We learn a lot about this friend group by finding out they’re instrumental in the local midnight showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” When Charlie is thrust into service playing a key role one night during their performance, it provides him with a turning point that may be contrived but is certainly entertaining.

My daughter was distraught to learn that weekend midnight showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” were commonplace “back in the day.” She wanted to know why they went away. For that, I have no explanation. Of course, a lot of great things have gone away.

There are some underrated supporting characters in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Charlie is influenced by an English teacher, Mr. Anderson (Paul Rudd). His out of touch father (Dylan McDermott) isn’t the most sympathetic. Ponytail Derek (“Succession’s” Nicholas Braun) and Susan (“Ozark’s”) Julia Garner add to the supporting cast. Garner is relegated to a non-speaking role, which means she has come a long way as an actress in just a decade.

Amazon.com: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

In the end, “Perks of Being a Wallflower” is an excellent coming of age film. For those of a certain age, it will remind you of a simpler time when the biggest worry you had was who to sit with at lunchtime.

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is rated PG-13 for adult language, drug use, sexual situations and mild violence. It is available on HBO Max, Prime Video, Apple TV, Redbox, Vudu Movie and TV Store or VUDU on your Roku device.gets going, it appears to be nothing more than a classic coming-of-age tale. Bookish loner gets picked on by cartoonish jocks, meets the “losers” (who are really the cool kids), falls in love with the impossibly hot girl and spends the rest of the movie trying to make her his.

As the movie progresses, however, the characters slowly transition from teen-movie tropes to much deeper characters. As the layers are peeled back, dark secrets are revealed, until you realize that none of them were the characters they first seemed to be.

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The exquisite storytelling technique stems directly from creator Stephen Chbosky. Chbosky’s 1999 bestseller of the same name is a cult favorite of the

/Morrissey-fan crowd the characters exist in. Fortunately for book purists, Chbosky was tapped to adapt and direct his own novel. What better way to make your directorial debut? There’s nothing eye-catching about the cinematography, but when you’re revealing the kind of stuff the characters are as they bare their souls, flashy camerawork might just serve as a distraction.

The cast is solid, if not outstanding. Logan Lerman, recently of the Percy Jackson series, was fresh-faced and believable as the lead wallflower, Charlie. Ezra Miller plays Patrick, the flomboyant senior that takes Charlie under his wing. It’s a stark contrast from his last major role, as the titular, evil Kevin from 2011’s

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Paul Rudd delivers a solid, subdued performance as Charlie’s teacher and mentor. With all the wackiness he’s shown over the last few years, it’s nice to see him rein it in and play a fairly serious role for once.

The film’s biggest draw, however, is Emma Watson. She plays Sam, the main love interest who unwittingly keeps Charlie at bay for most of the film. After playing Hermione seven times in the

Series, she should be no stranger to the advances of obsessed bookworms; perhaps she drew on some of that experience for the role. Radiant yet tortured, it’s not hard to imagine a generation of teenage Smiths fans (or whoever the modern equivalent of the Smiths are – probably still the Smiths, right?) developing major crushes on the idea of a girl like her in their real life.

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∎ High schoolers without smartphones (it takes them the entire movie to figure out the name of the song “Heroes” by David Bowie).

I’m not going to call it a must-see, but it’s a very realistic, sometimes funny, other times tear-jerking depiction of high school delivered on a level that anyone who lived it should appreciate. Definitely worth a watch.