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The Perks of Being A Wallflower: movie review

( PG-13 ) ( Monitor Movie Guide )

'Perks' shows that 'Harry Potter' star Emma Watson can stand on her own.

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John Bramley/Summit Entertainment/AP
'Perks' stars Logan Lerman (l.), Ezra Miller (center) and Emma Watson (r.).
  • By Peter Rainer Film critic

Now that Emma Watson has moved on from the “Harry Potter” films, I’m looking forward to seeing this remarkably intelligent actress appear in movies not involving magic and potions and walking through walls. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” isn’t such a great showcase for her – derived from the popular 1999 novel by writer-director Stephen Chbosky, it’s an earnest indie about a troubled teen, Charlie (Logan Lerman), and his various troubled confederates – but it does demonstrate that Watson can stand on her own.

As Sam, the wayward stepsister of Charlie’s sardonic friend Patrick (Ezra Miller), Watson doesn’t lose her cool, or her warmth, in a role that might easily have devolved into terminal sappiness.

Grade: B- (Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, drug and alcohol use, sexual content, and a fight.)

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