What I Watched -- The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a rare beast - it's a coming of age story that holds its appeal with viewers beyond the teenage crowd.

Why is this?  For starters, the main character (Charlie, played by Logan Lerman) is introspective, and not in just a teenage angsty way.  As Patrick (Ezra Miller, as great in this as he was creepy and disturbed in We Need to Talk About Kevin) observes, "You see things, and you understand.  You’re a wallflower.”

And Wallflower is Charlie's story.  He's a freshman in high school, uncomfortable, out of place, the object of ridicule.  But he finds Patrick and Sam (Emma Watson), and they show him he has a place among the outcasts.

From his new seat, he observes the world, falls in love, and generally is okay:

"I can see it. This one moment when you know you're not a sad story. You are alive, and you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder. And you're listening to that song and that drive with the people you love most in this world. And in this moment, I swear, we are infinite."

Bottom line: these three kids are surprisingly fantastic, as is the movie.