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If you saw Perks of Being a Wallflower while it was out in theaters, you know that it was one of the best movies of the year (especially for teens), but one A-Lister thinks it’s more than just a good movie. James Franco recently opened up to Entertainment Weekly, and explained why he thinks the book-turned-movie should be a serious contender during this year’s Oscar race.
James, who is no stranger to outcast-centric roles thanks to his time on the critically acclaimed cult series Freaks and Geeks back in the early 2000′s, wrote a poignant piece for the magazine beginning his plea with, “It’s hard to do a film about high school nowadays and not have it suck.” James continued, “There are so many television shows that, on a weekly basis, use and exhaust all there is to mine from that time of life: bullies, outcasts, jocks, artsy kids, falling in love for the first time, doing everything for the first time, realizing the adult world is just as flawed as the teenage world, figuring out who you want to be, learning how to fight for the person you want to be, etc.”
However, the Spring Breakers star believes that Perks “stands apart and feels relevant,” adding that the characters (Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller) are the ones who “pull[s] this movie through.” James even mentions how in some parts –particularly when Logan’s character starts dating a girl he doesn’t really like — he wanted to exclaim, “I know that! I’ve experienced that!”
Ending his plea, James writes “High school is a time and place that can be done so wrong, but these wallflowers do it so right. They embrace the outcasts, and they don’t shy away from the hard issues teens face: sex, drugs, suicide, mental illness; and they capture the beauty of youth: friendship, love, creativity.”
Hopefully, the Academy will hear James’ cry.
Do you think Perks is Oscar worthy? Sound off in the comments!