Charlie Bartlett (***½)
Directed by: Jon Poll
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr.; Hope Davis
Seen: February 19th 2008
***½ Out of ****
Interesting (and useless) bit of information first, this is director Jon Poll’s first film since 1982, and only his second ever, as director. He has been the editor on a bunch of comedies in between though, most notably Meet the Parents, the sequel Meet the Fockers, and the last two Austin Powers movies.
Now, regarding Charlie. This little gem was immense fun. Yes, it harks back to some big 80’s movies, most obviously Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, but I feel it does it in an almost reverent way. Most younger people who will enjoy this movie today will never even have seen Ferris, so this might be their definitive old-school smart teen movie.
Anton Yelchin plays a very charming Charlie Barlett, a young man who can’t stay part of the group, who has to stand out regardless of the cost. He gets expelled from private school after private school, bringing his slightly “candy-floss” mother to the eventual last chance solution: public school.
On his first day he gets inadvertently mistaken for a teacher because of his private school uniform. After that he switches to normal attire, but that’s where his normality stays, because psychologists are a constant feature in his life, even more so than the average American we’ve been introduced to in the movies. And here his inner teacher and constant shrink visits start coming together. The students realise he has some experience in the area, and he becomes their “informal psychologist”, below the radar of course. He soon reaches the conclusion that there could be money in this, so he starts selling the kids meds for their problems, all by the book, because he also starts studying some psychology in his free time, only problem is he does not really have the meds. Cue the entertaining collage, in which we see Charlie talking to multiple psychologists, explaining the kids’ problems as if they were his own, and viola, he has the meds to sell! I sure hope this is not that easy in real life – but I don’t know…
Further along the line we have a great, yet small role by Robert Downey Jr. as Principal Nathan Gardner, the slightly loopy head of Charlie’s new public school. Now I believe Robert Downey Jr. to be one of the best actors of this generation, and even though I do not know much of the ones outside this generation, I’m prepared to say outside it too. Faith Hope also brings a beautifully realised and slightly unhinged and ignorant mother to Charlie to this film, enjoyable in every line she delivers, for instance, when she tells Charlie there’s more to high school than being liked, and he asks her what specifically, she replies with: “Nothing comes to mind.” Not that funny a line, I agree, but it’s all in the delivery, and Hope Davis does it brilliantly.
Cool music, cool characters, a sweet little love story to add to this already smart combination, and there’s only enjoyment to be had here. I recommend this one.
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr.; Hope Davis
Seen: February 19th 2008
***½ Out of ****
Interesting (and useless) bit of information first, this is director Jon Poll’s first film since 1982, and only his second ever, as director. He has been the editor on a bunch of comedies in between though, most notably Meet the Parents, the sequel Meet the Fockers, and the last two Austin Powers movies.
Now, regarding Charlie. This little gem was immense fun. Yes, it harks back to some big 80’s movies, most obviously Ferris Beuller’s Day Off, but I feel it does it in an almost reverent way. Most younger people who will enjoy this movie today will never even have seen Ferris, so this might be their definitive old-school smart teen movie.
Anton Yelchin plays a very charming Charlie Barlett, a young man who can’t stay part of the group, who has to stand out regardless of the cost. He gets expelled from private school after private school, bringing his slightly “candy-floss” mother to the eventual last chance solution: public school.
On his first day he gets inadvertently mistaken for a teacher because of his private school uniform. After that he switches to normal attire, but that’s where his normality stays, because psychologists are a constant feature in his life, even more so than the average American we’ve been introduced to in the movies. And here his inner teacher and constant shrink visits start coming together. The students realise he has some experience in the area, and he becomes their “informal psychologist”, below the radar of course. He soon reaches the conclusion that there could be money in this, so he starts selling the kids meds for their problems, all by the book, because he also starts studying some psychology in his free time, only problem is he does not really have the meds. Cue the entertaining collage, in which we see Charlie talking to multiple psychologists, explaining the kids’ problems as if they were his own, and viola, he has the meds to sell! I sure hope this is not that easy in real life – but I don’t know…
Further along the line we have a great, yet small role by Robert Downey Jr. as Principal Nathan Gardner, the slightly loopy head of Charlie’s new public school. Now I believe Robert Downey Jr. to be one of the best actors of this generation, and even though I do not know much of the ones outside this generation, I’m prepared to say outside it too. Faith Hope also brings a beautifully realised and slightly unhinged and ignorant mother to Charlie to this film, enjoyable in every line she delivers, for instance, when she tells Charlie there’s more to high school than being liked, and he asks her what specifically, she replies with: “Nothing comes to mind.” Not that funny a line, I agree, but it’s all in the delivery, and Hope Davis does it brilliantly.
Cool music, cool characters, a sweet little love story to add to this already smart combination, and there’s only enjoyment to be had here. I recommend this one.
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