- Film Review
- Reviewed By Karen Krizanovich
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3 out of 5
"Welcome to the island of misfit toys", says high-school senior Sam (Emma Watson), as she introduces damaged intellectual Charlie (Logan Lerman) into her social circle. Sam is the sharp and beautiful stepsister of camp Patrick (Ezra Miller), and, as the trio's friendship blossoms, Charlie inevitably falls for her, despite struggling with a secret trauma from his youth. Writer/director Stephen Chbosky adapts his own 1990s-set young adult novel here, and focuses on the glorious, and eventually gory, underbelly of late high-school life. But he walks a wobbly line between schmaltz and sincerity. The tale of a shy boy who learns how to be himself is a cliché, but the daring denouement will either shock or stultify. The superb cast, including Paul Rudd as an inspirational teacher, manages to moves this potentially queasy teen drama into something worth watching.
Plot Summary
An introverted 15-year-old fails to fit in at a 1990s high school as he copes with personal traumas and his own social awkwardness. He finally finds a place to belong when two older students take him under their wing. Drama based on director Stephen Chbosky's novel, starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Charlie
- Logan Lerman
- Sam
- Emma Watson
- Patrick
- Ezra Miller
- Mary Elizabeth
- Mae Whitman
- Mother
- Kate Walsh
- Father
- Dylan McDermott
- Dr Burton
- Joan Cusack
- Bill
- Paul Rudd
- Aunt Helen
- Melanie Lynskey
- Brad
- Johnny Simmons
- Candace
- Nina Dobrev
Crew
- Director
- Stephen Chbosky
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