// REVIEWS
Review: Charlie BartlettEvery once in a while, the Tribeca Film Festival surprises with something that's far better than it looks in the preview, and that's certainly the case with Charlie Bartlett, a high school dramedy starring Anton Yelchin, who played the kidnapped teen in Alpha Dog and whose debut in David Duchovny's "House of D" premiered at the festival a few years ago. Yelchin plays the title character, a wealthy teen who finds popularity by becoming the pill-prescribing therapist for his high school classmates, in a movie that's a clever throwback to the movies of John Hughes, most notably "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
Of course, it's hard not to think of movies like "Ferris Bueller" and "Igby Goes Down" while watching the opening scene of Yelchin's Charlie being expelled from his latest private school. He's an industrious youth from wealth who always seems to be getting into trouble because his mother (Hope Davis) doesn't exert enough control over him, since his father left (for reasons we'll discover later). After his latest expulsion, she decides it's time to send Charlie to public school where he immediately gets caught up in the clique hierarchy of being the low man on the totem poll, becoming an immediate target for the school bully Murphy (Tyler Hilton) due to his prep school attitude. He also starts to get very friendly with Susan, who happens to be the daughter of the school principal (Robert Downey Jr.). Charlie's mother believes that therapy and medication is the answer to everything, but Charlie decides to sell his prescribed ritalin at school and soon, he's found a new career as the high school therapist, getting prescription drugs for his classmates. He quickly becomes very popular with Murph being his partner in crime.
On the one hand, the movie follows some of the same formulas of other teen high school comedies like "Saved!," "Thumbsucker," "Mean Girls," "Heathers," "3 O'Clock High"--really, there have been hundreds it seems--but it also has a very clever premise and its own distinct charm and personality. Most of that comes from Yelchin, who riffs through the movie and hams it up making him far more likeable that one might expect, very much like a young Tom Cruise or Matthew Broderick. Sure, when he gets excited his voice gets a bit whiny, something that might be hard to take over time, but he also does a great job selling this rich character who offers healthy doses of humor and drama.
The best casting is that of Robert Downey, Jr. as the school's principal, possibly one of his better recent roles, because he nails what made Paul Gleason and Jeffrey Jones so great in their respective '80s movies, but brings so much more depth to the character with a dramatic undercurrent we don't get to see often in teen comedies. From having to raise a teen daughter to trying to maintain control of students who listen more to Charlie than him, Downey just does a great job with this character. This is especially the case when he confronts his alcoholism--yes, there's some irony in there but maybe it allows Downey some closure on that chapter of his life. Downey's presence elevates the movie above normal Hollywood teen fare due to some fine dramatic moments with Yelchin and with his daughter, played by Katt Dennings ("40-Year-Old Virgin"). The same can be said for Hope Davis as Charlie's batty medicated mother, not a particularly original character but Davis gives it that edge she's so good at to make her scenes very enjoyable.
Dennings is very cute but is a bit annoying at times and her romantic scenes with Yelchin are the weakest in the movies. Also, it's odd that they'd cast an actress who clearly can't sing in a role that includes a subplot about her singing. On the other hand, the most pleasant surprise of the cast comes from singer/songwriter Tyler Hilton as the bully Murphy, a well-rounded role with a surprising full story arc that deviates from the normal high school bully stereotypes.
"Charlie Bartlett" is a fairly impressive debut from director Jon Poll, who has edited many of Jay Roach's recent comedies, because it understands how to make things funny and entertaining without veering too far away from reality with its high concept premise. The movie is tightly paced with most of the scenes adding something to build the story and characters, rather than just being there merely as filler.
At times, the movie tends to be a bit predictable and preachy, but it's thoroughly entertaining and fun otherwise, offering lots of laughs and strong parent-child relationship drama that's much smarter than what we normally see in this type of movie. (It's a shame that the MPAA will probably give the movie an R-rating due to its drug-related premise and a bit of teen sex, because it's the type of movie that teens might be able to get something out of besides being entertained.)
Rating: 8/10
Charlie Bartlett is scheduled to be released by MGM on August 3.
