Movie Review: Charlie Bartlett

Jon Poll Directs Anton Yelchin With Robert Downey Jr. & Hope Davis

© Robert Bell

Feb 10, 2008

“Charlie Bartlett” is a film about feelings of isolation, abandonment, and trying to fit into a world where we feel ultimately disconnected, and obligated to conform to the expectations of those around us. First time screenwriter Gustin Nash, and long-time-editor/first-time-director Jon Poll do a great job constructing a teen dramedy with some insights and a mature message. They pull some fine performances from their primarily young cast, and communicate the didactic with only a few convenient plot turns and contrivances.

Charlie Bartlett is an Independent Free-Spirited Young Man

Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin) marches to the beat of his own drum. He is a seventeen-year-old rich kid with a tendency to get kicked out of private schools for schemes created with the pretext of popularity. The film opens with Charlie being kicked out of a school for fashioning fake Drivers Licenses, and his mother (Hope Davis) then attempting to make a “donation” to the school in order for them to “overlook” this incident. When this doesn’t work, Charlie is enrolled in a public school.

A Touching Mother-Son Relationship

The relationship between Charlie and his Mother Marilyn is very touching and sad. Marilyn Bartlett is a woman living in a haze of prescription drugs after her husband was imprisoned for tax evasion. This reliance on chemical substance for sheer functionality has left her son Charlie prematurely taking on a more parental role. The lack of guidelines and parental influence in his life causes him to create his own rules, regardless of societal convention, and ethical expectations. This isn’t to say that Marilyn is not a competent mother; on the contrary, she shares an open and honest relationship with her son that is more like a friendship. She clearly cares very much for her son. As a result, Charlie is a very genuine, friendly, and likable boy, but suffers from a naiveté and idealism because of his age, and a lack of consequences to his actions.

Fitting in at a New School Can Be Hard

When Charlie starts at his new public school he feels out of place; being bullied in the bathroom, and mocked because of his wardrobe. He does befriend a young drama student named Susan (Kat Dennings), who happens to be the daughter of the principal (Robert Downey Jr.). Struggling with his place in the social hierarchy, Charlie concocts a plan to gain the respect of his peers, ultimately prescribing drugs for them, and acting as a therapist in the boys’ washroom. He rapidly moves up the ranks in popularity, and has a great influence over the students of the school, not always having the life experience to fully understand the possible consequences of his well meaning actions.

Gustin Nash is a Screenwriter to Watch

Gustin Nash has written a great screenplay. There is a care, and caution to the overall message of the film, and each character was written with believability, and a natural progression that stems organically, and isn’t forced. Charlie is a strange and off-putting young man, yet very genuine and likable. He is never smug, or self righteous, which in turn makes the overwhelming acceptance of him more palatable. The supporting characters are also well rounded. Including Robert Downey Jr. as the recently divorced principal struggling with alcoholism and a charismatic student who appears to be stealing his life. Kat Dennings as his isolated daughter is fairly well developed as well, sharing an obvious connection with Charlie as someone forced to live beyond their years. Where the script falters is in how quickly and easily Charlie becomes popular and influential. After selling prescription drugs to several students at a high school dance, he is immediately fawned over by his peers. Students rarely turn in unison to clap for a classmate as he walks down the hall. These moments of teen cinematic convention detract from the overall impact of the film, but can be easily overlooked as the rest of the text works rather effectively.

Jon Poll Handles his First Effort Behind the Camera Well

Jon Poll does a solid job in his direction of this film. It is well paced, professionally shot, and natural in its progression. He does a good job creating a real world, and balancing the relationships of the characters in a way that shows insight into their motivations. It is also somewhat bland, and safe. The vision isn’t particularly unique, and often bows to familiar cinematic conventions. However, with more experience behind the camera Jon Poll is sure to find a more unique vision.

Anton Yelchin stars in a Breakout Role

The acting in this film is uniformly strong. Yelchin carries the film well in a breakout role. His previouswork, primarily in “Huff”, hasn’t given him the opportunity to show his range. He manages to be peculiar, yet likable, and never smug in this film. He delivers the more dramatic sequences with effect, as well as the comedic ones (The scene where he auditions for the school play in particular). Yelchin does occasionally stumble in more the more tender scenes of the film, but more often shines.

A Study of Conformance, Independence, and the Desire to be Liked

“Charlie Bartlett” is a highly entertaining film that is never fully comedic or dramatic. It instead comes across as a considerate character study with a worthwhile didactic. This film communicates that we ultimately all feel somewhat detached from each other, and that we shouldn’t wait for the approval of others to follow our hearts. As far as independent films go, this one can join the successful ranks of other recent films like "Spiral" and "Dedication".