Review of Charlie Bartlett (2008) by Mike B — 28 Nov 2011

Charlie Bartlett: Oh trust me doc, bringing psychiatric drugs and teenagers together is like opening a lemonade stand in the desert. .

"Popularity is a state of mind.".

I am extremely pleased with Charlie Bartlett. Not that I am surprised I liked it so much, as I am a huge fan of both Anton Yelchin and Robert Downey Jr., and the premise was awesome. Sure there were plot elements that were less than unlikely and scenes that really turned up the melodrama for no particular reason, but for the most part it was a really good set in high school movie.

Charlie Bartlett gets kicked out of his fancy private school for selling fake ID's and must go back to his huge mansion with his mother and attend public school. Charlie less than fits in with the kids at this new school, so he tries to fins a way to win them over. He chooses drugs. All kids want to get high and that is his way to get popular and also make some cash on the side. Then he starts offering psychiatric help for all the kids in his school in the bathroom. The principal isn't very fond of him and that is heightened when Charlie and his daughter start hanging out.

I thought the film was extremely cool and had a pretty good concept. I like the idea of a kid no one likes finding a way to become the cool kid. Yeah it has been done before, but never like this. Yelchin owns every role he's ever had. Not once have I seen him in a movie and not been totally impressed and convinced by his performance. That is saying quite a bit since he started young. It doesn't look like he is going to fade out like some young actors do, at least I hope not.

The movie has some fun sequences and some insightful ones. The insightful ones are a little overdone, I'll admit; and yeah, there are some incredibly cliched characters. But come on, high school is one big cliche and all the characters in this film really exist in just about every high school in the world. Overall the film works because of its cool premise and two actors who nail their roles. .