Review of Being Charlie (2016) by Chris O — 15 Nov 2016

Although fairly generic and straightforward, "Being Charlie" is still fueled by a powerful performance and some witty dialogue, even if it is over/under exaggerated at times.

Charlie, a young 18-year old boy, deals with drug abuse. With his Father running for Governor and his life on the edge, he's forced to attend rehab. Only this time, it's a bit different, and a bit more dark.

I was actually a big fan of the trailer and I've always been a fan of Nick Robinson. Nick Robinson has proven to be a young actor with plenty of talent, and he has some notable movies under his belt. "Jurassic World" was far from perfect, but he made a mark there. "The Kings Of Summer", another film he starred in, was possibly one of the best indie films I've ever seen. Robinson carried this film and gave a powerful performance. I loved his performance and he carried so much weight with his acting. His ability to convey emotions and make you feel for him was noticeable, despite his less than adequate character. He takes this role and makes it his own, and I would love to own this movie just to see his performance again.

As for the screenplay, it's interesting enough but it's fairly straight forward. There's nothing new to this film, and it really feels more like a straightforward story rather than an actual movie. It feels like I'm watching someone live out there life and there's not necessarily a direct path to take here. I mean, the movie can be predictable at times, but it's an interesting path none the less. The dialogue is pretty good for the most part and it seemed pretty natural. Again, this is related to Robinson's spectacular performance and he really brought out the life in the screenplay.

With that being said, the characters in this film are fairly one dimensional. No one except Charlie really gets any more dimensions or other characteristics given to them. They're all fairly black and white, and despite a couple of decent performances, no one else is really that memorable.

I feel like this is the kind of movie that'll either hit really hard or not at all. I was able to get hooked because of the emotional gravity I found in this film, but most won't care. This really is an example of a movie written for personal story telling. Although it means well and it's real, this movie is definitely not for all people.

In the end, "Being Charlie" was better then I thought it would be. Robinson is very memorable, even if there's not much more to the film. Either way, I think this film deserves a fresh rating.