Being Charlie

"Acceptance is the first step to recovery." Charlie (Robinson) is a drug addict who has been in and out of rehab. After escaping from his current treatment clinic he returns home, only to fall back into his same routine. Now, given the choice between another try at rehab or going to jail Charlie attempts to turn his life around. What he finds is that rehab is easier than dealing with his famous father (Elwes) in the middle of his run for Governor. This is a very tough movie to watch, due to the actions of Charlie and his father. You are rooting for Charlie the entire time, and you really feel when he is faced with a choice and you feel the tenseness that he does. The movie makes you really feel the roller coaster of emotions that Charlie is on and that really adds to the involvement and impact of the movie. Overall, great acting, writing and directing makes this less of a movie and more of an experience. I recommend this. I give it a B+.

A great movie with deep moments and amazing acting especially by Nick Robinson.

The movie was a good attempt at a first feature film. After viewing it at TIFF and listening to the writers speak afterwords they clearly stated that Rob Reiner had a lot of influence in ironing out the kinks with the script. but obviously he liked something to start with. With experience I am sure that the two youngsters Nick Reiner, Matt Elisofon will get better at it. It did have some very memorable scenes and lines.

I enjoyed the message and the movie was not just funny or just dark based on the topic. It had a good mix of drama and comedy. I enjoyed it and will be looking for the next film that comes out from these guys.

And I wish Charlie 'not to be'. Oh, this flick is predictable and mostly boring! It has some good moments mostly within the first half hour but overall it's so been done before.

The opening of the story is certainly an attention grabber with Charlie leaving that 'Christian rehab center and smashing the stain glass window! Then being given a ride with a woman suffering cancer. Something surely of substance is going to unfold before us -- no not at all. Charlie calls a friend and the friend takes him home to Bel-Air to his very wealthy family. From this point on everything about this story is so predictable. Who couldn't figure out the father would put his political career first and the mother would be the go between for father and 'druggy' son? Of course there's the on again off again doped-up girl for Charlie, his friend Adam who accepts Charlie for what he is (and by-the-way Adam is the only character in the whole move with a personality), and Charlie is on the street then off the street then on the street.

The ultimate message here is that no one can change their life until they decide to do it themselves. This is symbolically shown when Charlie sweeps up the broken bottles at the beach house - his life at 18 years old is also a broken mess and it's time to clean it up. An hour and a half to get to the message everyone already knows. The end.

This is about Charlie, the guy who had too easy of a life and who blew it all on a life of drugs. I found Charlie to be impossible to sympathize with or to care about because his attitude is two-dimensional. On the other hand, his best friend, Adam, who supports him in every way, now that's a story. Now he's a person I want to know better. Devon Bosticks is impossible to look away from. No offense to Nick Robinson because he's good. (It's Nick's character that is less interesting.) Adam as a character is that friend that every one of us wants. Wants to be. And Eva? I couldn't care less. Her character is boring. ..... As for the film as a whole, worth a watch. The story is human.