Charlie Bartlett | 
| Director: Jon Poll
Actors: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis, Kat Dennings, Tyler Hilton
Studio: MGM
Buy New: $3.99
Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 735
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 98 Minutes
ASIN: B001D51X1Q
Theatrical Release Date: February 22, 2008
Release Date: October 20, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Synopsis:
Wealthy teenager Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin) is failing miserably at fitting in at a new public high school run by the world-weary Principal Gardner (Robert Downey, Jr.). As he begins to better understand the social hierarchy, Charlie's honest charm and likeability positions him as the resident "psychiatrist" dishing out advice, and the occasional prescription, to his fellow students in need. Along the way, he decides to take some of his own advice, thus wielding a witty dark comedy about the angst-filled years before college. |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 I Was a Teenage Psychiatrist February 23, 2008
Chris Pandolfi (Los Angeles, CA)
7 out of 16 found this review helpful
I remember the exact moment I stopped liking "Charlie Bartlett": the title character (Anton Yelchin) sits at a piano with his mother (Hope Davis), and as he plays, they both sing "Those Were the Days" from "All in the Family." This moment occurred less than five minutes into the film, so what does this say about the remaining ninety-two minutes? Not a heck of a lot, since practically every minute features one of the most unrealistic characters of recent memory. Charlie Bartlett--a rich young man who was expelled from every private high school he ever attended--does not represent the cool kid we'd like to be friends with, nor is he someone we'd actually like to be; he's nothing more than a strange kid that does strange things in a desperate attempt to be popular. Now in public school, he distributes prescription drugs to his high school classmates, all while providing free counsel in the boys' bathroom. The drugs were collected from many therapists, including his own. They were prescribed so nonchalantly that I never once believed the therapists were doing their job.
The silliest part is that his drug dealing makes him the most popular kid in school, and this is despite dressing in expensive suits, carrying an attache case everywhere he goes, and speaking in words that are pathetic instead of funny. It's the classic Zero to Hero scenario, switching from being ignored to being idolized almost overnight. He even wins over the school bully, Murphy Bivens (Tyler Hilton), converting him from a violent hothead into a business partner. It's hard to imagine that satire was this movie's goal, since this isn't the way satire works. A film shouldn't flaunt its eccentricities if it doesn't stop to make some kind of commentary; otherwise, you have film that's weird just for the sake of being weird. "Charlie Bartlett" is exactly that, telling a story about people with problems that are absolutely nothing like real problems. Even if they were real, they certainly could never be solved as easily as they are in this film.
The self-appointed psychiatrist begins building his reputation by sharing his Ritalin at a school dance. He was prescribed that particular drug because he had trouble concentrating in school--all he could think about was a fantasy of standing on a concert stage, shouting "Hello! My name is Charlie Bartlett, and I'm not alone!" to throngs of screaming fans. His reaction to the medication is not a good one; at one point, he runs down the street in the middle of the night in nothing but his underwear, ranting incoherently. Since he understands what his pills capable of, he decides to share them with everyone else, because, obviously, dealing will make you popular.
It isn't until the next day that his reputation is set in stone. Bartlett is approached by Kip Crombwell (Mark Rendall), a lanky young kid who suffers from depression and panic attacks. He begs Bartlett for some kind of medication, and not being one to displease his classmates, Bartlett does a little medical research and finds out that Xanax is the best medicine for those symptoms. After tricking his therapist into prescribing it for him, Bartlett gives the pills to Crombwell for a modest fee. Thus a business is born, as are regular treatment sessions in which Bartlett sits in one bathroom stall while the patient sits in another. Pretty soon, a line of patients extends the entire length of the hallway, and this is because--wouldn't you know it--they actually feel better talking to him. Little do they know that Bartlett is about as messed up as they are, with an imprisoned father and an insane mother weighing heavily on his warped mind.
Stories like this inevitably include a love interest, which in this case involves Bartlett and Susan Gardner (Kat Dennings). What Susan sees in Bartlett, I'll never understand; the two may have a few things in common, but they could not be more different as far as personalities are concerned. The main objective of this character is to create conflict, not only for Bartlett, but also for her father (Robert Downey, Jr.), who happens to be the school's Principal. Here's a character that adds the most melodrama: after coming home from work, he pours himself glass after glass of heavy booze. He too is the product of a bad relationship, but the problems run deeper than that. None of the students respect him, especially since he allowed surveillance cameras to be installed around the campus' student lounge. He now faces a full-blown teenage uprising, one that's directly influenced by the infamous Charlie Bartlett.
If the filmmakers were aiming to make some kind of a meaningful statement about being a teenager, something went horribly wrong. But the film's biggest failure is assuming that we'd invest in the title character, someone who could never exist in real life, no matter how much we'd want him to. "Charlie Bartlett" is one of the biggest miscalculations I've ever seen, a needlessly bizarre film that thinks it's being witty but is actually being annoying. I couldn't relate to any of the characters, the personality quirks are piled on far too thick, and I absolutely hated the story, a lame-brained idea that couldn't find a balance between drama and comedy. Movies like this simply don't offer anything, not even an excuse to indulge in mindless absurdity.
 "I'll See You In The Sequel!" ~ Ferris Bueller 2008 June 28, 2008
Brian E. Erland (Brea, CA - USA)
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
The '08 release `Charlie Bartlett' is one of those all too prevalent "teenagers know everything, adults don't have a clue" films, so if you choose to sit down and watch understand that you've made a conscious choice to substitute substance and reality for an hour or so in search of a little mindless entertainment. Now with the chosen parameters stated the obvious question is does this film deliver the entertainment value you're anticipating? For me the answer is yes.
Anton Yelchin is terrific in the part of Charlie Bartlett, troubled rich kid at a new high school looking for popularity. The film is clearly cut from the mold of the ever popular `Ferris Bueller's Day Off' and Anton is every bit as smooth and disarming as Matthew Broderick was in the '86 classic. Like `Ferris Bueller', Charlie soon becomes the undisputed God of the school to the consternation of `Power That Be', especially Principal Gardner (Robert Downey Jr.) who has to deal with the irrepressible Charlie on and off campus when he starts dating his daughter Susan (Kat Dennings).
The cast is excellent, the music invigorating and the storyline consistently entertaining from beginning to end. If you're in the mood for an updated re-visioning of `Ferris Bueller's Day Off' with a somewhat darker, edgier atmosphere in keeping with the times you'll enjoy `Charlie Bartlett'.
 "Hi! I'm Charlie Bartlett!" February 23, 2008
Laszlo Matyas
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
Charlie Bartlett is a genius, an outcast, a legend, and an accidental hero. He's an unabashed nerd who somehow manages to ooze cool and charisma. He's smart, clean-shaven, loves his parents, acts on an earnest desire to help those around him, and is as a result seen as a rebel and a subversive. He doesn't oppose authority; it opposes him. He becomes a local saint by selling mood-altering drugs to his fellow high-school students, and is vilified only for trying to stake out his own identity and help his fellow teenagers do the same. He's an innocent rebel in search of a cause. He's our Ferris Bueller.
As a coming of age story, Charlie Bartlett deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as The Graduate or The Catcher In The Rye. It's hilarious, touching, and smart, full of deliciously subverted cliches and gorgeously wrought characters. It tells that same age-old story (a young man struggles to find his identity, and thus becomes an emblem for his entire generation) with unparalleled skill, unfeigned sympathy, and bottomless humor. The movie's titular character really is a fantastic creation: He's a bundle of contradictions and ironies, a balance of endearing naivete and knowing, sardonic sarcasm, all of which conceals a deep sensitivity and sense of longing.
Oh, and did I mention that this is a first-rate comedy? As touching and insightful as it is, Charlie Bartlett is a also a gut-bustingly funny, endlessly entertaining movie, full of iconic scenes, memorable dialogue, sharp satire, and sheer hysterics. The jokes come fast and easy, the characters are full of quirks, the story is wonderfully paced and relentlessly engrossing, and the climax is as gripping and heartrending as you could possibly ask. Even the film's occasional missteps- a few of the ideas seem underdeveloped or awkwardly handled- aren't particularly troublesome. In fact, they add to the loose, freewheeling atmosphere that pervades the whole thing. See it!
Suspending disbelief and then whalloping it over the head several times... March 2, 2008
R. Kyle (USA)
5 out of 18 found this review helpful
Charlie Bartlett's (Anton Yelchin) just your typical rich kid who can't stay in a prep school. This last one's kicked him out for making fake IDs.
There's no prep school that will take him now. Charlie's stuck going to public school. We're talking riding the bus, the whole works.
Only this time, he's gotten smarter with his illegal activities. Since he's got a psychiatrist on call, he's going to sell his prescriptions to the student body. His motivation--to be liked and needed--and it works.
Only, it doesn't work for this audience member. Charlie's an engaging type, but the whole scenario is beyond suspending disbelief and into abandoning reality altogether. There are some good moments, like when the Kip Cromwell, the depressed kid everyone ignores, gets his play produced. Other than that, "Charlie Bartlett" the film's best moments are in the trailers advertising the film.
I Heart Charlie February 23, 2008
C. C. Confer
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Very entertaining, quirky, and endearing. Anton did a fabulous job. And Robert and Hope stole the show.
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