The Perks of Being a Wallflower: parents' guide
Best for ages 15 and up. Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, drug and alcohol use, sexual content including references, and a fight - all involving teens.
A tender, honest coming-of-age drama for mature teens that pairs first love and friendship with very heavy subjects. Charlie starts high school after his best friend's suicide and his own breakdown, and the film gradually reveals that a relative sexually abused him as a child, shown only in brief, non-graphic flashbacks. Teens drink, eat pot brownies and take LSD, two gay students face violence from a father and from classmates, and there's an f-word plus slurs. Near the end Charlie goes through a suicidal crisis. Valuable at 15 with a parent ready to talk it through.
What's in it
Violence
StrongRated strong because of child sexual abuse: flashbacks reveal Charlie's aunt molested him, implied rather than shown. Also a cafeteria brawl that leaves boys bloodied, a teen beaten by his father, and a girl struck by her boyfriend.
Language
ModerateOne f-word and about ten s-words, occasional slurs ("fag" aimed at a gay classmate, plus "gooks" and "spaz"), and "asshole," "bitch," "slut," "jack off" and several misuses of God's and Jesus' names.
Sex and nudity
ModerateTeens kiss, grope and make out at parties, including a same-sex couple, and Charlie touches a girl's clothed breast. Sam describes being kissed by an adult at 11 and sleeping around afterward. Underwear, no nudity; sex is discussed, not shown.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
StrongTeens drink beer and liquor at parties and smoke, Charlie gets high on a pot brownie, and later he takes LSD, hallucinates and passes out in the snow. Drinking and drugs carry few consequences.
Scary or intense scenes
ModerateEmotionally intense: Charlie's flashbacks and blackouts, grief over a friend's suicide and an aunt's fatal crash, and a late breakdown in which he picks up a kitchen knife before help arrives. Disturbing in subject more than images.
Sensitive topics
- Suicide
- Sexual assault
- Child abuse
- Bullying
- Domestic abuse
Worth talking about
Charlie hides his own pain by being the friend who listens. Who could you go to if something from your past kept coming back, and how would you know a friend needed help?
On our lists
Similar picks around 15+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, bbfc.co.uk. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.