The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Teen Movie Review
One thousand three hundred and eighty- five more days. That’s how many days of school that high school freshman, Charlie (Logan Lerman) had until he graduated; and he was counting down the days. Charlie had been through some rough times before his freshman year. His best friend had committed suicide, so going off to high school was a scary, lonely venture. However, when Charlie met Patrick and his stepsister, Sam (Emma Watson), things began to change. Though Sam and Patrick were both seniors, they liked Charlie, they introduced him to their friends and they even took him to parties. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, based on the best selling novel, is a story about the ups and downs of growing up, and the importance of friendships along the way.
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Rating: 2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: October 12, 2012
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 16+
Sexual Content: Excessive
Violent Content: Moderate
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Excessive
Will Kids Like It? Yes (Mature teens)
Talking Points:
Initially Charlie was dreading his freshman year, however things began to change when he met some new friends. His friends distracted him from his dark past. The film highlighted the value of friendships.
Charlie may have had some emotional problems, though he was a very devoted friend and brother.
Charlie and his English teacher, Mr. Andersen (Paul Rudd) had a wonderful relationship. Mr. Andersen was a positive influence in Charlie’s life; the movie also highlighted the importance of a great teacher and how that can positively effect a student.
Drugs, drinking and casual sex were apart of these teenager’s lives; it was accepted and not a big deal….but where were the parents???
Sexual Content: Excessive
- We saw couples kissing and fondling each other at high school parties.
- It was implied that most of the teens were having sex. The movie portrayed the attitude that casual sex was not a big deal, it was apart of high school.
- We saw two male characters kissing each other in a bedroom.
- We saw Charlie touch a girls chest; though she was fully clothed.
- The teenagers frequented the movie, Rocky Horror Picture Show; they dressed up as character’s in the movie and danced around the theater. That was very strange.
- We see flashbacks of a young Charlie with his adult aunt. His aunt rubs his leg, and Charlie remembers how she once molested him. This may be disturbing to some teenagers.
Violent/Disturbing Content: Moderate
- Two boys had a fist fight in the high school cafeteria; we saw one boy punching and beating up another boy.
- We saw a teenage boy viciously slap his girlfriend.
- In one scene, it seemed as though Charlie was going to hurt himself with a knife. That was disturbing.
Crude or Profane Language: Moderate
- The f-word is said once. We heard “sh–,” “h—,” “a–,” and “b–ch,” a couple of times each. We also heard “f-ggot,” and “jack-off.”
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Excessive
- Teens drank alcohol and smoked cigarettes at parties. Charlie got stoned on hash brownies, and also had LSD.
- Drinking and drugs were at all their high school parties…not sure where the parents were!
Will Kids Like It? Yes (Mature teens)
Perks of Being a Wallflower dealt with difficult teenage issues and had a mature subject matter. Some teens may find the film depressing, while mature teenagers may find the movie very interesting. Depending on the teenager, I recommend this for kids ages 16 and up. Parents need to be aware of the excessive sexual content and drug and alcohol content.
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