Love is to woe is me as films about love is to waaah is me.

Take the film adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower as an example… an example already set previously by 1994’s Reality Bites:

Pictured in each poster: two dudes (one square, one “like, whatever”), short-haired pixie chick, wall.

If the posters are any indication, these are supposed to be the films that define the generations they’re made in.  But that shouldn’t be the case for TPOBAW (nerd acronym alert!).

The book written in 1999 by Stephen Chbosky actually takes place around the early 90’s in which sex, drugs, homosexuality, and aimlessness were common themes (a.k.a. buzzkills) also featured in RB (n.a.a. again!).  Does the same pre-social media angst of the 90’s translate to now?  If the posters can do it, so can the celluloid.

(SIDENOTE: I read and bought TPOBAW multiple times.  It was one of my favorites.  A Holden Caulfield for Gen-X’ers.  I’d hate it now.)