Directed by Stephen Chbosky.
★★★★
A teen-angst drama that John Hughes would be proud to call his own, this is about a shy high-school freshman in 1992 who manages to befriend a circle of seniors and become part of their group.
Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson) is Charlie, the awkward freshman who's had some tragic circumstances push him deeper into his shell, but he manages to get in good graces with two step-siblings who take him under their wing. From there, we experience the joys and pitfalls of high school with him, and them, a group of friends with universally recognizable characteristics but none feeling stock or cliche. It's one of those rare high school movies that treats its characters like real people.
Sam is a girl trying to push through her previous reputation of promiscuity, and Emma Watson (of Harry Potter fame) plays her beautifully. She takes on a nurturing role to Charlie that deepens as they grow closer. Patrick is her fearless gay stepbrother, and he never feels like he's "the gay guy." He's Patrick, and Ezra Miller is completely different here than he was as the titular pyschopath in We Need to Talk About Kevin.
It brought back a lot of memories. Pretty much the opposite effect of Take Me Home Tonight.
I updated my Top Ten of 2012 to include this. I liked it that much.
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