MovieChat Forums > The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) Discussion > So how is this like high school?

So how is this like high school?

posted 9 years ago by Hythlodaeus
7 replies | jump to latest

Yes, there were aspects that were like high school and many of my friends and were like characters here but the overall effect was dishonest.

How is this movie like high school?

What hump? 

[–] germanii 9 years ago

Not to sound like a smartass but you're the one attempting to establish a premise that it was "dishonest." I think you need to qualify that statement before asking others to explain it back to you.

[–] Hythlodaeus 9 years ago

Fair enough - I can explain but I have generally found that a good discussion gets going when asking questions.

So I'll rephrase.

Is this movie an honest portrayal of high school today?

[–] slyle 8 years ago

I'm not sure if it is or not, but it's set in 1991 and 1992, so it's not really intended to portray high school in 2016.

[–] Hythlodaeus 8 years ago

Well, that's the question - is high school like this in 2016?

But I would say that it is not accurate for 1991 because that's my high school era.

What hump? 

[–] desertdude1953 8 years ago

It may not reflect your experience in 1990's high school, but it is based on the high school experience of the writer of the book and screenplay, Stephen Chbosky.

As a parent of 4 kids, the oldest of whom were in high school during that period of time, I think it is pretty accurate. Perks has become the new Catcher In The Rye, as the must read book for kids that view themselves as outcasts or somewhat different than the norm.

As a Social Worker I used to give teenagers Catcher In The Rye to read, now I give them Perks.

[–] Hythlodaeus 8 years ago

Catcher wasn't really about high school but adolescence. This movie makes claims about the prevalence of certain behaviors in high school that even in New York in the 1990s were not common but may have been in California or some other places, but I find it unlikely.

What hump? 

[–] desertdude1953 8 years ago

Catcher wasn't really about high school but adolescence.

The same thing could be said about Perks. I guess you are going to have to be more specific about what behaviors you are talking about for us to have a meaningful dialogue.

This movie takes place in Pittsburgh, not California. I raised my kids in Utah and Colorado and what I saw in the movie pretty typical of most high schools during that time period.

Care to be more specific?