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The Perks of Being a Wallflower poster

Is The Perks of Being a Wallflower OK for Kids?

Drama
15+
PG-13⭐ IMDb 7.9 / 102012 · 1h 43m
Stephen Chbosky● Script verified

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United States

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What's In It

Based on the actual screenplay
🗡️Violence
Extreme▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
0
Cartoon / Comedic
4
Action & Peril
1
Injuries & Death Shown
1
Graphic & Disturbing
  • Senior bullies rip a freshman's book cover and force freshmen to hop down the hallway as a hazing ritual.
  • Derek slaps Candace across the face during an argument in the basement.
  • A cafeteria fight escalates when Patrick punches Brad, then Brad's football friends beat Patrick repeatedly in the face while a linebacker joins in.
  • Charlie blacks out during the fight and violently attacks multiple football players, breaking one's nose and hitting another in the throat.
  • A flashback depicts Aunt Helen's fatal car accident where a semi-truck smashes through the car windows, described but not shown in graphic detail.
  • Overall tone: violence is sudden and emotionally charged rather than constant, tied closely to bullying, mental health crisis, and past trauma.
💬Language
Moderate▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
3
Mild Words
(damn, hell)
17
Moderate
(ass, b**ch)
8
Strong
(sh*t)
0
Extreme
(f**k)
  • Strong language includes 's**t' (8 times) and moderate words like 'a**' (5), 'da**/God da**' (4), 'b**ch' (3), 'p***y' (2), 'd**k' (1), and the slur 'faggot' (2 times).
  • Milder language includes 'hell' (2) and 'pr**k' (1).
  • No f-words or c-words are used in the script.
  • The slur 'faggot' is used in the context of the film's exploration of homophobia and Patrick's persecution for his sexuality.
👻Scary Scenes
Extreme▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
1
Mildly Tense
0
Startling Moments
2
Genuinely Scary
3
Deeply Disturbing
  • Charlie experiences fragmented flashbacks revealing his Aunt Helen sexually abused him as a child, including the disturbing line 'Don't wake your sister' and a memory of her hand on his knee.
  • Charlie has a severe mental breakdown after Sam leaves, involving intrusive memories, fractured perception, and thoughts of self-harm.
  • Charlie contemplates suicide while staring at knives in the kitchen during a severe anxiety attack.
  • Police break down Charlie's door during his mental health crisis, and he is admitted to Mayview psychiatric hospital.
  • Charlie's doctor later reveals to his parents that Aunt Helen sexually abused him.
  • These scenes are resolved through therapy with Dr. Burton and Charlie's family embracing him with support after his hospitalization.
💕Romance
Moderate▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
1
Crushes & Holding Hands
4
Kissing & Dating
2
Suggestive
0
Sexual Content
  • Charlie develops a crush on Sam that grows throughout the film.
  • Sam gives Charlie his first kiss on Christmas Eve and tells him she loves him; they also kiss during a truth-or-dare game and again in the tunnel during the final drive.
  • Mary Elizabeth and Charlie make out in her basement; she removes her dress strap and guides his hand to her breast.
  • Patrick kisses Charlie on the overlook during a vulnerable moment, which Charlie allows to happen.
  • Sam and Charlie kiss in her bedroom the night before she leaves; Charlie touches her and has a disturbing flashback tied to his abuse, linking intimacy directly to his trauma.
🍺Substances
Moderate▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
3
Mentioned in Passing
4
Shown Casually
2
Featured Prominently
0
Glorified or Abused
  • Bob offers Charlie a pot brownie at a party, after which Charlie becomes noticeably intoxicated and disoriented.
  • Charlie takes an LSD tab at a New Year's Eve party, leading to hallucinations, paranoia, and confusion.
  • Mary Elizabeth uncorks wine during a make-out session and Charlie drinks merlot; Patrick drinks from an unknown thermos at the overlook.
  • Brad gets drunk before being intimate with Patrick, and Patrick helps him sober up afterward.
  • Charlie is shown taking Wellbutrin, a prescribed antidepressant, and Bob is mentioned as frequently stoned; substance use is portrayed realistically rather than glorified.
⚡Stimulation
Extreme▼
Moments in the script, mildest → most intense
0
Gently Engaging
1
Exciting
3
Intense
1
Overwhelming
  • The truck drive through the Fort Pitt Tunnel features fast driving, wind, and music, repeated twice with escalating emotional intensity.
  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show stage performance features Charlie performing in gold underwear before 200 people, with Sam in lingerie.
  • Charlie's mental breakdown sequence uses rapid-fire flashbacks and fractured imagery blending past and present, which may overwhelm sensitive viewers.
  • The cafeteria fight scene escalates quickly with crowd noise, multiple attackers, and a sudden blackout.
  • Not recommended for sensory-sensitive children due to the intensity of the breakdown sequence and fight scene.

Parents also checked

The Perks of Being a Wallflower — Heads Up for Parents

Despite its coming-of-age framing, the film includes a scene where Charlie stares at knives in the kitchen during a suicidal episode and a fragmented flashback revealing childhood sexual abuse by his aunt — content parents may not expect from the film's marketing as a teen friendship story.

About The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower follows Charlie, an introverted high school freshman dealing with unresolved childhood trauma, as he finds belonging with a group of outsider friends including Sam and Patrick. The film blends coming-of-age warmth with serious explorations of mental illness, sexual abuse, and recovery, shifting between joyful friendship moments and intense psychological breakdowns.

👨‍👧
Best watched together
The revelation of Aunt Helen's abuse, Charlie's suicidal ideation while staring at knives, and his psychiatric hospitalization are heavy themes that benefit from a parent present to help teens ages 15+ process the material and discuss healthy responses to trauma.

Family Takeaways from The Perks of Being a Wallflower

What it gets right

  • ✓The film portrays psychiatric hospitalization and therapy (with Dr. Burton) as a legitimate, non-stigmatized path to healing rather than something shameful.
  • ✓It shows a family reconnecting and supporting Charlie after his hospitalization, including saying grace together and joking at dinner, modeling how families can rebuild after crisis.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Cultural & Values Guide

Cultural & Values Guide

Faith & Religion
●Christian themes

The film includes church scenes, communion, and an Easter Mass, alongside Catholic school references throughout the story.

Values & Themes
●LGBTQ themes

Patrick's sexuality and Brad's denial of their relationship drive a major subplot dealing with social persecution and acceptance.

Cast:Logan LermanEmma WatsonEzra MillerMae WhitmanKate Walsh

Is The Perks of Being a Wallflower Appropriate for Your Child's Age?

✗Age 5: Not recommended for 5-year-olds
✗Age 8: Not recommended for 8-year-olds
✗Age 10: Not recommended for 10-year-olds
✗Age 12: Not recommended for 12-year-olds
✗Age 13: Not recommended for 13-year-olds
✓Age 15: Generally appropriate for 15-year-olds
✓Age 17: Generally appropriate for 17-year-olds

Individual children may vary — use your judgment.

Parents also ask about The Perks of Being a Wallflower

  • Is The Perks of Being a Wallflower appropriate for a 15-year-old?
  • Does The Perks of Being a Wallflower have violence?
  • Is The Perks of Being a Wallflower OK for kids?
  • What is the age rating for The Perks of Being a Wallflower?

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