Films like The Perks of Being a Wallflower

15 picks with a similar feel

What defines The Perks of Being a Wallflower, going by its Boxlist taste profile: An emotional drama that is grounded, intimate and original. Best if you like stories that hit hard. Its strongest markers on Boxlist are themes of coming of age, unlikely connections and love against the odds, plus tags such as school friend, mental health and lgbt teen.

Here are 15 films with a similar feel, ranked by how closely they match that profile. Treat them as picks to try, not a definitive list.

Based on The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012).

  1. 1

    Call Me by Your Name (2017)

    Film8.3

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age and love against the odds. Common ground: teenage boy, first love, lgbt.

  2. 2

    Boy Erased (2018)

    Film7.1

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also grounded and emotional, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: lgbt teen, lgbt, coming of age.

  3. 3

    Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)

    Film7.6Lighter option

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: teenage boy, high school student, high school.

  4. 4

    Moonlight (2016)

    Film7.4Darker

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: lgbt, high school, coming of age.

  5. 5

    Dead Poets Society (1989)

    Film8.3Lighter option

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: coming of age, friendship.

  6. 6

    An Education (2009)

    Film6.9

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also grounded and emotional, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: coming of age.

  7. 7

    Y Tu Mamá También (2001)

    Film7.5Easier to follow

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: lgbt, coming of age.

  8. 8

    Flipped (2010)

    Film7.8Lighter option

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: teenage boy.

  9. 9

    The 400 Blows (1959)

    Film8.1Darker

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also grounded and intimate, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: coming of age.

  10. 10

    American Beauty (1999)

    Film8.0Easier to follow

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age and love against the odds. Common ground: coming of age.

  11. 11

    Three Steps Above Heaven (2010)

    Film7.8

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also grounded and emotional, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: first love, friendship.

  12. 12

    The Virgin Suicides (1999)

    Film7.1Lighter option

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also grounded and emotional, with themes of coming of age and love against the odds. Common ground: coming of age.

  13. 13

    Mommy (2014)

    Film8.3

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also grounded and emotional, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: coming of age.

  14. 14

    Boyhood (2014)

    Film7.5Darker

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also grounded and emotional, with themes of coming of age. Common ground: high school, coming of age.

  15. 15

    Lady Bird (2017)

    Film7.3Lighter option

    Why it's like The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Also emotional and grounded, with themes of coming of age and unlikely connections. Common ground: first love, high school student, coming of age.

Boxlist compares The Perks of Being a Wallflower with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point. Ratings are TMDB audience scores out of 10.

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Questions

What should I watch if I like The Perks of Being a Wallflower?
Picks with a similar feel include Call Me by Your Name, Boy Erased, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Moonlight. Each shares part of The Perks of Being a Wallflower's taste profile, themes or tags; the full list has 15 films.
How are these films like The Perks of Being a Wallflower chosen?
Boxlist compares The Perks of Being a Wallflower with every film in its catalogue on ten taste scores (pace, tone, weight, realism and more), story themes, genres and TMDB keywords, and ranks the closest. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 6.7 or more from at least 1,000 votes, new releases wait until their ratings settle, and only one title per franchise makes the list. It is an approximation of feel, so treat it as a starting point.
Is there a lighter film like The Perks of Being a Wallflower?
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl has a similar feel but scores lighter on Boxlist's weightiness scale.

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