Here’s the strange thing about Mae Whitman. My feelings on her are almost always the same. She’s a good, not great actress who in no way affects my feelings toward the larger material. I would never see something specifically because she’s in it, nor would I ever avoid it for the same reason. She’s been more than capable in all the roles she’s been given, and if she has a long career in Hollywood, I will be happy for her. That’s why it’s so utterly bizarre that everything she’s in somehow inspires a polarized reaction in me. I love Parenthood, loved Arrested Development, absolutely despised Scott Pilgrim and absolutely despised Disney’s Tinkerbell off-shoot. Now comes word that she’s appearing in my least favorite novel of all-time Perks Of Being A Wallflower. I’m not surprised.
Perks Of Being A Wallflower follows a kid named “Charlie” who writes a series of anonymous letters dealing with his best friend’s suicide, his befriending of Patrick and Sam and some mysterious event that went down with his aunt. It remains hugely popular, enough so that author Stephen Chbosky has been given the green light to adapt and direct his own work. Logan Lerman has already signed on to play the main character, and Harry Potter’s Emma Watson will play the female lead. According to Variety, Whitman will play “Charlie’s” first girlfriend, an annoying vegan with more than a few tattoos. As the twenty-two year old actress already plays a high school student on Parenthood, I’m not envisioning too much trouble making her look the right age.
Principal photography is set to begin on Perks Of Being A Wallflower in May. It’ll shoot in Pittsburgh, now a hot destination with The Dark Knight Rises also setting up cameras there. Expect this to do very well at the box office.
