Generally, movie adaptations of best-selling books have a tough time on the big screen, which was why Summit Entertainment’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower did not excite me at first.

I read the book before I entered high school and it is still one of my favorites. When you fall in love with a book’s characters, the thought of movie producers obliterating the actual story to make a few extra bucks can be scary. I was more than pleased when I realized Stephen Chbosky, the book’s author, was writing and directing the film.

The film’s cast is stacked with talent, with veteran actors Emma Watson, Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller occupying lead roles. Lerman plays Charlie, a socially awkward, emotionally scarred freshman who spent time in a psychiatric hospital after his best friend committed suicide a year before the start of the movie.

Lerman captures Charlie’s struggles almost flawlessly, and delivers many heartwarming – and heart breaking – scenes throughout the movie. Perhaps the most interesting role though, is Ezra Miller’s, who plays Patrick, Charlie’s openly gay friend who secretly dates the star football player. Miller brings most of the laughs to the screen, along with some odd behavioral traits that helps Watson’s character coin the nickname for his group of friends, “the island of misfit toys.”

Daily Charlie’s peers berate him for being quiet and smart, but little do they know, Charlie has gone through many traumatizing experiences during his childhood- the memories of which Charlie has tried to suppress.

Underneath all the drama, the parties, and the drugs that help carry the story along at an impeccable rate, is a much simpler message:  the theme of not judging a book by its cover, which seems to be even more evident in movies today with bullying constantly being scrutinized in the media. Overall, Perks is a daring, fun, and heart touching film that will at least persuade you to read the book.