Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1991. High school freshman Charlie is a wallflower, always watching life from the sidelines, until two senior students, Sam and her stepbrother Patrick, become his mentors, helping him discover the joys of friendship, music and love.
It's an earnest indie about a troubled teen, Charlie (Logan Lerman), and his various troubled confederates -- but it does demonstrate that Watson can stand on her own.
– Peter Rainer,
Christian Science Monitor,
28 Sep 2012
fresh:
Watson holds her own with a character more annoying on paper than in reality, but it's the boys who most impress ...
– Guy Lodge,
Time Out,
2 Oct 2012
fresh:
Regardless of the viewer's proximity to his or her own high school experience, "Perks" seems to get it right, precisely because it's not about a specific time or place.
– John Anderson,
Newsday,
4 Oct 2012
fresh:
Sensitive teens and their older kin who pine for the '90s may want to take it for a spin on the dance floor.
– Joe Williams,
St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
4 Oct 2012
fresh:
Perks seems like the work of a much more experienced director, maintaining fidelity to the source material without sacrificing any cinematic qualities, triggering genuine sentimentality and nostalgia through interaction between sound and image.