Post #4 Adapting Perks of Being a Wallflower

Adapting The Perks of Being a Wallflower

*I am done with the book and I have not seen the movie

 

I think the filmmaker would have issues in adapting and really capturing how Charlie is a wallflower. Also how Charlie doesn’t really talk to people other than Patrick and Sam and the others in his small circle of friends. It would be difficult to show how he would just sit and watch everyone. It would be tough for the filmmaker to decide which scenes to keep and which to get rid of when they are getting high or drunk. This decision would be tough becasue mostly all of them have some sort of importance however the movie would be boring if the filmmaker kept all of those scenes.

One essential scene that must be in the movie is when Sam, Charlie, and Patrick are driving through the tunnel and they listen to the song that makes them feel infinite.  The filmmaker needs to be able to show that they are infinite without one of them saying it because they never say it, Charlie just thinks it. This scene really shows how they are all friends and how Charlie is finally able to make friends and be more involved. Another scene that would be essential is the Christmas party that they have. They would need to show how Charlie felt left out when he didn’t get gifts from some of the people that he got gifts for. They would also need to show him giving out all of his gifts and tell the meanings of all the gifts. Another scene that would need to be in there is the fight in the cafeteria between Patrick and Brad. They would need to show the tension that built up and then they would have to show how Charlie broke up the fight.

When adapting the book there would be scenes that would have to be left out. One of those scenes is when Charlie is at the New Year’s Eve party and he is shoveling the party. Even though it may be weird that he is doing it, the filmmaker could just show everything else that he did while he was on LSD. The shoveling the driveway part isn’t really that important. Another scene that could be left out is the days of school after all of the seniors are let out but he still has to go to school. This isn’t really that important because he just sits and sleeps and school and he takes his finals. There isn’t much detail involved in that part so it would be okay to leave it out.