PHOTO PROVIDED Emma Watson (Sam) and Logan Lerman (Charlie) star in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” a coming of age film set in Pittsburgh.

My daughter has returned from her first year at college which means the television is no longer my own.

She has been home for only a handful of days, but I have quickly learned that choosing a show or movie is not my decision alone. There needs to be a consensus and being the only male in the house — not counting the dog — I am typically outvoted, 2 to 1.

Since that is the case, I was subjected to “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” earlier this week. The 2012 coming of age film was filmed in Pittsburgh. I remembered watching it once before, but fell asleep. Not a good sign. However, I decided to give it another shot. This time, I stayed awake through the whole thing — progress!

The best way to describe “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is that it feels like something that I would have absolutely loved as a teenager. The film is about a misfit high school freshman who is awkward in every sense of the word. While he’s not a classic movie nerd, he’s pretty close. Until, however, he meets a group of older kids who take him under their wings.

The story, which set in the early 1990s, tells the story of Charlie (Logan Lerman), who is getting ready to embark on the adventure known as high school. It’s a theme that we can all relate to, right? We’ve all been there — navigating the hallways, trying to learn and find our friend group.

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is based on Stephen Chbosky’s best-selling young-adult novel, which was published in 1999. Why was it set and filmed in Pittsburgh, you may ask? Well, Chbosky grew up in the Pittsburgh suburbs. For that reason alone, I could relate to this film. If only it were set in the 1980s!

The novel was so near and dear to Chbosky’s heart that he wound up directing the film. I haven’t read the book, but I am guessing that the film turned out exactly the way Chbosky envisioned.

Early into the film, Charlie meets Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller). At first, Charlie believes they are a couple. However, he quickly learns that they’re half-siblings. And even though there is a pretty big age gap (freshman to high school senior), Charlie begins to fall for Sam. We learn that Charlie has been on medication for depression. The death of his aunt (Melanie Lynskey) has a lot to do with that, but not in the way you might expect — so pay close attention to the plot, which weaves quite the web.

Through Sam and Patrick, Charlie is able to meet the aggressive Mary Elizabeth (Mae Whitman) and a pothead named Bob (Adam Hagenbuch). They aren’t the best role models for Charlie, but that’s OK. Mary Elizabeth has eyes on Charlie, even though he is clearly fixated on Sam.

We learn a lot about this friend group by finding out they’re instrumental in the local midnight showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” When Charlie is thrust into service playing a key role one night during their performance, it provides him with a turning point that may be contrived but is certainly entertaining.

My daughter was distraught to learn that weekend midnight showings of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” were commonplace “back in the day.” She wanted to know why they went away. For that, I have no explanation. Of course, a lot of great things have gone away.

But I digress.

There are some underrated supporting characters in “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Charlie is influenced by an English teacher, Mr. Anderson (Paul Rudd). His out of touch father (Dylan McDermott) isn’t the most sympathetic. Ponytail Derek (“Succession’s” Nicholas Braun) and Susan (“Ozark’s”) Julia Garner add to the supporting cast. Garner is relegated to a non-speaking role, which means she has come a long way as an actress in just a decade.

In the end, “Perks of Being a Wallflower” is an excellent coming of age film. For those of a certain age, it will remind you of a simpler time when the biggest worry you had was who to sit with at lunchtime.

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is rated PG-13 for adult language, drug use, sexual situations and mild violence. It is available on HBO Max, Prime Video, Apple TV, Redbox, Vudu Movie and TV Store or VUDU on your Roku device.

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Chris Morelli is news editor of The Express.