The Perks of Being a Wallflower

If you want a drama that takes its characters as seriously as its plot, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is available in Australia on Amazon Prime Video and Stan, and in the US on YouTube TV and MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel right now. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. An 8/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Logan Lerman leads a cast that never overplays its hand. Put it on tonight on Amazon Prime Video and see for yourself.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The writing in The Perks of Being a Wallflower treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1991. High school freshman Charlie is a wallflower, always watching life from the sidelines, until two senior students, Sam and her stepbrother Patrick, become his mentors, helping him discover the joys of friendship, music and love. Logan Lerman and Emma Watson lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2012. What elevates The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. It rarely drops the ball, and when it does, it recovers fast.

For anyone looking for storytelling that takes its characters seriously, The Perks of Being a Wallflower delivers. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Logan Lerman carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.