Review of Charlie Bartlett (2008) by Samantha M — 14 Jan 2011

It's a beautiful movie giving an insight into peer-pressure, depression, drug use, craving for attention, angst, rebellion and most of the other things that teenagers feel & go through.

The screenplay manages to make us look deep inside the characters & feel their emotions as well as make us laugh on the pranks & incidents.

The real strength of the movie lies in its well-written characters. They are deep, complicated, realistic & relatable.

Charlie Bartlett, played amazingly by young & talented Anton Yelchin, who goes through his messed up life, having to take up the role of an adult at an early age and simultaneously doing something or the other to gain attention & popularity in every prep-school he's admitted into. From the opening scene to the ending scene, the character keeps you interested. This character is going to be stuck in my mind for a while.

Even the supporting characters are played so well, especially that of Charlie's depressed & psychologically ill mother, played by wonderful Hope Davis, and that of the principal (with his own set of issues & problems), played by Robert Downey Jr (awesome as always).

Memorable Scenes from the Movie - Charlie's Shakespeare audition, his drug overdose naked madness, his British accented 'Yankee Doodle', his announcement of losing virginity & the students' rebellion at his arrest.

I liked the movie & its characters, maybe because my own life is so messed up. So, everyone might not feel so strongly about the movie. But, I still think that many people would be able to relate to the characters shown in the movie.