Charlie Bartlett

The transitional age we all suffered through were our formative years, during High School. This is where you learn what you believe is wrong and what you didn't believed is even more wrong. It's at this very trying time, one learns in order to survive, one must adapt, ignore the obvious and embrace the impossible. This film called " Charlie Bartlett " deals with all those issues and more. It begins with young Charlie (Anton Yelchin) a teen who dreams of becoming the most popular boy in school. The reality is definitely the opposite. Although rich and spoiled by his dotting mother, Charlie who has caused so much trouble in private schools, has been transferred to public education. Here he begins by being out of place, out of step and out of touch. Between becoming a bully's (Murphey Bivens) daily punching bag and dreaming of popularity, his efforts only land him in the arms of a shrink who proscribes a plethora of pharmaceutical drugs. Realizing their true value with the student body, he not only starts selling drugs, but becomes a peer confident. The change of life brings many rewards, and growing popularity but unfortunately closer to the troubled Principal (Robert Downey Jr.) and his rebellious daughter (Kat Dennings). All the characters have issues and our hero makes use of his substantial gifts of persuasion. The movie is surprisingly interesting and should not be underrated. It's a fun film and one which holds the attention of multi generational audiences. Recommended to anyone with an open mind. ***

Charlie Bartlett is a comedy with a message. Some may say that's an oxymoron. But Jon Poll, directing from a Gustin Nash script, takes on the task and turns in a hybrid of a film that is so incredibly engaging you'll wonder why few filmmakers take on such a challenge. The audience was so loud and boisterous at the World Premiere screening at the Tribeca Film Festival that it sent the laugh meter off the scale.

Anton Yelchin is Charlie Bartlett, a kid born with a silver spoon in his mouth and an enterprising, albeit mischievous, brain. His antics get him kicked out of one private school after another. But his clever and earnest sincerity is bound to hit the target sooner or later and it does when he is thrown to the public school wolves. The scheme he invents to endear himself to the student body is nothing short of genius, and his performance fits the bill.

Yelchin has made a name for himself playing the smart, sensitive, and innocent tortured kid. Here he gets the chance to stretch his acting chops in a completely different direction. He's confident and anything but vulnerable. The wide range of emotions and the talents he shows here are unsurpassed. He sings, he dances, he plays piano, he does physical comedy and has fight scenes and romantic scenes and just about everything that could be thrown at him. And he looks to be so thoroughly enjoying it, which comes across on screen and proves to be so central to the film. After all, to enjoy a film one must identify somewhat with the protagonist, or at least like him, and Anton does that better than many actors twice his age.

Hope Davis is a riot as his not-quite-all-there mother. It's easy to see the source of Charlie's quirkiness. The relationship between mother and son is playful and mischievous, the kind of "mom as best friend" scenario which often results in tragedy. Here it's played just for laughs, and it works. She is everymom - with a twist of lemon.

Tyler Hilton is perfectly cast as the bully who we know from the start is destined to soften up somewhere along the way. That's what movie bullies do. But he brings an especially charming quality to the role which plays perfectly against Charlie's leanings toward the dark side. It's a delicate balance but Yelchin and Hilton make it work.

Robert Downey Jr. is ironically cast as the substance-addled principal who also happens to be the father of Charlie's love interest. One has to wonder whether Principal Gardner or Downey is speaking in some of the more poignant scenes about alcohol and drugs. It's chilling. Perhaps for that reason alone he is a standout here.

Kat Dennings plays the girl who is out to win Charlie's heart. The dynamic with Downey and Yelchin is a natural source of drama. This is the film's most heartfelt storyline, and Dennings is admirably up to the task.

At times it all feels so real, and it's no wonder -- writer Gustin Nash actually continued to write scenes and dialogue specifically for those actors after the film got underway and it shows.

Charlie Bartlett has the look and feel of a studio film, which should help it find an audience. The subject matter demands an R rating, if only for its content. But it's a film kids need to see. The message is squarely aimed at teens, even younger ones, and parents need to take heed. In the guise of a comedy, a good one at that, Charlie Bartlett has something meaningful to say about the excuses we use to justify our behavior and the chemical coping methods so many of us cling to. And it's d*mn funny.

This is one of the most near-perfect movies that I have watched in a very long time. I was completely enthralled with the storyline, the actors, and the movie itself. The movie had it all, comedy, drama, and guidance on the angsts of growing up and being a teen. I could not have asked for a more complete movie. Very good, very, very good.

Charlie Bartlett is a comedy film about Charlie, a rich kid who drops out of a private high school and experiences culture shock after enrolling into a public school. After being an outcast for a few days, he gains popularity by setting up a dubious enterprise that distributes medical drugs around the school. At the same time, he discovers that he has an ability to counsel and give advice to other students. Their problems include substance abuse, depression, and identity crisis. It turns out that the adults also have problems of their own. Charlie soon learns that things are not as simple as he originally expected.

The acting is the best aspect of the film. Anton Yelchin fits perfectly as Charlie. He has the ideal attitude and personality for the role. The gestures and facial expressions are spot on. This makes for an extremely likable and charismatic main character. For most of the film, Principal Gardner serves as Charlie's opposition. Robert Downy Jr. does a terrific job as Gardner, conveying a wide range of emotions that makes you truly sympathize him. The rest of the cast (mostly other students in the school) are likable in their own ways. Despite their personal flaws, you can see a change in most (although not all) of them throughout the film.

The plot has some good ideas in it. It carries some great messages about our personal and social lives. I would have liked to see some of the plot lines carried further. For example, the story surrounding Charlie's father is very artificial and felt like it was tagged on simply to make Charlie look more imperfect. With a little imagination, a whole lot more could have been done with it. Also, it felt like the conclusion did not implement all the ideas together.

The dialog and writing was a mixed result. Generally, it was good and even excelled at some moments. But there were other parts that seemed too over the top or plain silly. Granted, it was walking a thin line between comedy and drama, but it could have felt more realistic.

I hope I don't sound too critical, because I enjoyed Charlie Bartlett and would definitely watch it again. The characters were good and the plot was interesting. It has more substance than the usual comedy. If IMDb's voting scales were more incremented, it would perfectly fit in as a 7.5/10. A good comedy to start the year off, don't hesitate to check it out.

I began watching this thinking "I'm about 30 years too old to appreciate this" because it seemed to be pitched at a teenage audience, but after a while I was taken by the unfolding events and drawn in to the believable human story underneath it all. The great performances of Robert Downey Jr and Anton Yelchin convinced me that the Principal of a school and a troubled student could end up helping each other and overcome the predictable high school conventions. It was surprising and satisfying, and the outcomes for many of the characters were positive in a not-unbelievable way. I understand why some people would see the likeness to Rushmore, but for me that was a uniquely brilliant Wes Anderson creation that can't be touched by films with apparently similar plots. Charlie Bartlett is worth seeing for its own sake and it is a rewarding experience. Anyone who has been a teenager should appreciate it and fans of Robert Downey Jr will also get the bonus of his character opening up about a history of drug abuse that seems to come from the heart of this wonderful actor.