There have been numerous excellent coming-of-age films in recent years. From Adam Sandler vehicles like You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah to faithful book adaptations like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, films have depicted the lives of teenagers with incredible accuracy. Some movies have been so successful that they have scored Oscar nominations. Films like Lady Bird and Call Me by Your Name received high critical acclaim, regarded as the best of their respective year. One of the best coming-of-age movies, however, failed to receive any awards consideration despite being highly regarded by critics and audiences.
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2012’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a powerful adolescent drama about trauma and repression, and is available to watch on HBO Max. From its incredible ensemble to its emotional finale, this directorial debut deserves to be in the conversation as one of the best coming-of-age movies of this century.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower Deserves More Recognition
The Perks of Being a Wallflower stars Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd, and tons of other talented actors. The film follows Charlie, played by Lerman, as a 15-year-old entering high school and starting a new chapter in his life. Struggling to make friends, he eventually meets step-siblings Patrick and Sam, played by Miller and Watson. Through their friendship and eventual feelings for Sam, Charlie attempts to cope with his dark past and his friend’s recent suicide.
Based on a popular novel by the director, Stephen Chbosky, the film earned rave reviews upon release. Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival before its October release date, critics described the film as “Touching and brimming with the energy, enthusiasm, and tides of teenage love and life,” and “a sweet surprise, a funny, touching terrific and quite wonderful movie that gets it all right about the joys and heartbreaks of growing up.” The film went on to receive nominations at the Critics’ Choice Awards and Writers Guild Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay. Despite having all the ingredients for a film destined to be Academy Award-nominated, it failed to receive any recognition at the Oscars.
Audiences have widespread love for the film, scoring a 4.0 average rating on Letterboxd, a 7.9 on IMDb, and an 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. From its compelling performances by the young ensemble to its realistic depiction of trauma, audiences gravitated to much of what the film was discussing and portraying. As well as discussing themes of identity and abuse, The Perks of Being a Wallflower had enough material that anyone could find something to appreciate.
The Ensemble of The Perks of Being a Wallflower Is Legendary
The cast of The Perks of Being a Wallflower all went on to do incredible things since its release. Logan Lerman had been in countless films before, such as 3:10 to Yuma and Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, but his role as Charlie was the film that truly expressed his dramatic chops. Fresh off the conclusion of the Harry Potter series, Emma Watson delved into a far more dramatic telling of a coming-of-age film with The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Her role in the film proved she was more than just Hermione, as she went on to become Belle in the live-action Beauty and the Beast and Greta Gerwig’s critically acclaimed adaptation of Little Women.
Ezra Miller’s role in The Perks of Being a Wallflower helped launch them into A-list status, as shortly after the release of the film, they became the Flash in the DCEU. Even the film’s minor characters became superstars, with Nicolas Braun’s portrayal of an abusive boyfriend in the film eventually leading to a career-best performance as Greg in Succession. The film also briefly included Julia Garner, who has had an incredible 2025 with the release of Weapons and The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Whether they played a pivotal role in the film or just a small supporting character, the ensemble is easily one of the strongest seen in a modern coming-of-age film.
When it comes to coming-of-age films available on streaming, there aren’t many better options than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. From its deep and resonant message to the amazing blend of tones, Stephen Chbosky faithfully adapts his novel to rewarding results. There is a reason why studios attach him to make other film adaptations like Wonder and Dear Evan Hansen, as he proved with one movie that he has incredible capabilities as a filmmaker that not many others can accomplish.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is available to stream on HBO Max and to rent or purchase on PVOD.
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