2. Emma Watson, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The ensemble of this film in turn devastates, entertains, and inspires. Even in the wings, small performances from the likes of Mae Whitman, Nina Dobrev, and Melanie Lynskey paint a fuller portrait of Charlies troubled life and the burden he must endure at such a young age. And then theres Emma Watson. We all know from years of getting to know her through interviews that Watson is an intelligent girl, and if we want to talk about perfect casting, the conversation begins and ends at her spot-on portrayal of Hermione Granger. So the fact that this performance falls so flat is quite a head scratcher. I always try to look past issues of affected accents as long as the performance itself is compelling, but here, it seemed that Watson was struggling around every turn to leave her native manner of speaking at the door. More importantly, Watson excels at the kind of appeal that is exactly the opposite of what Charlie sees in Sam. So while the movie wants us to buy into Sam as the bad girl with a heart of gold, Watson is still stuck in Bookish Plain Jane Land. Its especially noticeable when shes up against Ezra Miller, who oozes enough rebellious allure for the both of them. So ultimately, yes, Emma Watson has an undeniable charm. But when that charm oversimplifies the complexities of the character, therein lies the problem.