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Charlie Bartlett
| Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek (June 2007) Director: Jon Poll
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis, Kat Dennings, Tyler Hilton In-a-nutshell:
After the first five minutes of fun-less story, Charlie Bartlett develops into an endearing, unstable, interesting disquiet with a sharp attention to the present day that prompts critical minds to ponder whether Poll might be capturing today's young adult generation as well as John Hughes captured the '80s. Charlie Bartlett seems to provide a public-school counterpoint to Rushmore and Pretty Persuasion - sensitive to its main characters' needs, funny enough to be smart and smart enough to be funny. |
Addressing the battles of high-school years (bullies, popularity, prescription drugs), the use and abuse of the psychiatric profession and the pressures of modern parenting, the movie revolves around Charlie Bartlett's messed-up mindset caused by an absent father and a medicated mother (an oh-so-gorgeous Hope Davis) who, acknowledging her inabilities in raising her son, befriends Bartlett, instead, as the man she needs. In a perennial pursuit of popularity, Charlie chooses to deal (in fake IDs and psychotropic stimulation or suppression). And, while his search for stimulation seems doomed to be expressed illegally and he lives on both sides of the edge of expulsion, his ability to listen and dispense advice to his contemporaries provides Charlie with the cred to rise above the con. |
As the title character, Yelchin delivers a dorky-yet-cunning charisma so charming that one can't help but appreciate his performance, and Downey Jr. is pitch-perfect (as always) as a scotch-quaffing, backyard-boating, principal/parent with a daughter to protect and more problems than solutions. Ones to watch include the bruised bully, Tyler Hilton, and Kat Dennings as the principal love interest (and principal's little girl). Click HERE to view the video of MPM's interview with Charlie Bartlett director Jon Poll at the 2007 L.A. Film Festival. |
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