Being Charlie

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.

6/10 - depressing and frustrating, but great performances throughout

There are some films from this director I liked, I consider them my favourites, but this is an average film. I always like his film story lines and characters, something better than what other filmmakers fails to do. This is another interesting theme and this time it was about the drug addiction. The story of a guy named Charlie, who just turned 18 and being released from a rehab camp for underage people. But his father who runs for the governor wants him to go for adult's rehab right away. He does not want to, but after no other option, he joins and meets a troubled girl Eva. A little romance blooms and followed by how it all ends bring a full stop to the narration.

Looks a good theme, but the purpose was confusing. Of course, the drugs related issues, especially the film focused on the road of recovery from such addition. But it stayed more real than cinematic twists and turns. One way you will know how it all ends, but some of the characters were unpredictable. The end was good, concludes with a little message. Nick Robinson was really great. Initially I thought it was Jack O'Connell's film, mistook Nick Roinson as him from the poster. Lacks depth in narration, but really a nice film. At least you should watch it for Rob Reiner, if you're not convinced enough.

6/10

This movie came across to me as quite the downer, and didn't seem at all to be a Rob Reiner directed film. Nick Robinson is believable as the defiant and sarcastic Charlie Mills. He's 18-years-old and a drug addict and has gone to one treatment facility after another, only gaining brief periods of sobriety.

Nick is from a very well-to-do family with his father (Cary Elwes), a former movie star running for Governor of California. The bulk of the film will center on Nick's rehab attempts, as he continually flaunts and disregards the recovery program's and counselors recommendations, thinking he has all the answers. Unfortunately, it will take a tragedy to finally get his attention.

There's lots of unlikable characters here, plenty of drug use, raw language, explicit sexual references, and some nudity.

Overall, I had trouble caring about the characters here, and just found the movie to be more irritating than enjoyable.

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.