Charlie Bartlett – 2008
Teenage angst, high school based and maturity tales have always been a staple in the movie industry, and I see not end to the trend, as there will always be teenagers looking for a medium that will understand them, and address the issues that plague sometimes troubled lives. While Charlie Bartlett is not the best of the bunch, it does a descent job of constructing a believable yet backhandedly insightful look at high school life, which is why it exists as a paradox, as the demographics who may seek this film will be unable to enter due to its rating.
Charlie Bartlett, the mainstream debut from director Jon Poll makes a solid effort, clearly absorbing inspiration from movies like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with the too mature for his age protagonist, and I think most from Pump Up the Volume, as many parallels are drawn, with the hidden hero, to issues with suicide, although Poll’s effort never feels like it is ripping these films off. Making a solid turn towards the A list is Anton Yelchin as Charlie, who you may remember from the tragic Alpha Dog, and he does a good job holding his own as a internally tormented teen, who does his best with what he has.
With his medicated mother (Hope Davis) taking a blind eye to his shenanigans and expulsion from a number of private schools, and his father in prison for tax invasion, Charlie has few friends and while not a punk, cannot find his way out of trouble. Finally ending up at a private school, supervised by Principal Gardner, played by the always excellent Robert Downey Jr. who is not as wacky as in such films as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, but is just as troubled as his students; Charlie does not find things any easier. Seeking comfort with a physiatrist, Charlie has an epiphany that the best way to make friends and help his fellow students is to extort medication for phoney issues and sell them to his classmates. Partnering up with the school bully Murphy Bivens (Tyler Hilton) he even gives free advice in the grungy boy’s lavatory. Charlie struggles with his relationship to Principle Gardner’s daughter, played well by Kat Dennings, pressure from the administration and his own inner issues.
The actors all do fine jobs, as a number of the characters remind me of people I know from high school, and Yelchin is able to hold his own against veteran Downey Jr. quite well. Tyler Hilton, as the bully, is still a far cry from the real thing, but his portrayal is far more accurate then the average. None of the characters are particularly well developed, but this seems to suit the film, because none of these kids know who they are. I have read some people find the film unfocussed, but I did not find any such foibles, as I found the pacing to be the awkward issue, and is the main flaw that kept it from standing up with the classics. The movie finds its rhythm though, and while certainly odd and not a dead shot of reality, it is bound to give some insightful pointers and messages to those who seek it out.
Charlie Bartlett is quirkily hilarious at times, such as when Charlie plays Yankee Doodle on the piano, insightfully subtle and cute, such as when he extorts the drugs, and touching at others, as we see an odd bond form between Principle Gardner and Charlie, as he looks to somehow fill the void left by the absence of his father. In essence the movie is about popularity and how you choose to use it; a sort of spider-man, “with great power comes great responsibility” message. So I would urge those of you interested in this film, but are unable to get in, go with your parents, as both generations are bound to get a laugh and some things to think about out of the experience.
© 2008 Simon Brookfield
