Writer: Gustin Nash
Director: Jon Poll
Cast: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis, Kat Dennings, Tyler Hilton, Mark Rendall, Dylan Taylor, Megan Park, Jake Epstein
Rating:
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: June 24, 2008

I thought I hated Anton Yelchin. My first experience with Yelchin was in the annoyingly trite, Fierce People. I disliked his character in the movie, Finn Earl, his portrayal of Finn Earl and I even detest the name…Finn Earl. What a name to give a kid. So, when I got stuck with Charlie Bartlett I cringed. I found excuses to avoid watching the movie until I didn’t really have a choice. I was so certain Anton Yelchin was going to ruin this movie. Come to find out, I don’t hate Anton Yelchin. I don’t even mildly dislike him. I hate Finn Earl and I hate Fierce People.

Anton Yelchin is one of those Hollywood youngsters who takes on odd roles. Some of those roles work out and some don’t. His role in Charlie Bartlett works. This comedy can only be described as quirky. It’s not your typical comedy and with Anton Yelchin in the lead role of Charlie Bartlett, it’s not supposed to be ‘regular’. Anton has to carry this movie, for the most part, and he does so easily, only submitting on occasion when going tête-à-tête with the more experienced, incredibly talented Robert Downey Jr.

Release Information:
Charlie Bartlett wasn’t as advertised as it should have been. I didn’t even hear about this movie until I found out I would be reviewing it. Charlie Bartlett premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on May 1, 2007. The film played at Cannes, the Maui Film Festival and the Cambridge Film Festival in 2007. Following its festival run, the movie had a limited release in Canada and a quiet (aka virtually not advertised) release in the United States on February 22, 2008. This may explain why the film only made a little over $4 million during its theatrical run.

Charlie Bartlett is set to be released on DVD through distribution by 20th Century Fox. The release is set for June 24, 2008. The Charlie Bartlett DVD can be pre-ordered at Amazon, where it is available for $19.99. The DVD can be purchased at other online retailers (pre-order) and will be available in local stores that sell DVDs after the date of its release.

The Charlie Bartlett Plot
A lot of people will be confused and probably a bit angry at the plot for Charlie Bartlett. The humor is quirky enough that some people just won’t think this movie is funny. I have an odd sense of humor and I got the point of the film, so I actually enjoyed it. However, like most unusual films, those who see Charlie Bartlett either seem to love it or hate it.

Charlie Bartlett is about a teenager by the name of Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin). Charlie dreams of being popular and respected. Born into a rich family with a father that doesn’t seem to be around (it isn’t clear where Charlie’s father is until much later in the film), the audience is left to assume he’s dead or has left the family and Charlie isn’t exactly happy about it. It has made him the man of the house though and he enjoys taking care of his somewhat nutty mother, Marilyn (Hope Davis).

Charlie is kicked out of his latest prep school after the Head Master learns he’s the most popular kid in school, thanks to his fake ID making business. Charlie is expelled and having been expelled from other private schools he has no choice but to attend the public school in his area. In prep school garb, Charlie sticks out like a sore thumb. He ends up getting beat up by the school underachiever (aka bully) Murphey (Tyler Hilton) on his first day, but he also meets the theater-loving Susan (Kat Dennings), which is the most meaningful part of his day.

Upset that Charlie isn’t fitting in, his mom brings the family psychiatrist to talk to him. Charlie is prescribed Ritalin, just in case ADD is causing his problems. After the Ritalin makes him crazy, Charlie realizes the power of the drug. Teaming up with the bully, to avoid getting beat up and to help out his fellow peers, Charlie becomes the school psychologist, holding sessions in the boys’ bathroom during school time and offering prescription medications to all the kids that need his help. All of the drugs come from the various psychiatrists he sees, telling them of all the symptoms he studies in a book about the DSM-IV drug standards.

Charlie is soon the most popular kid in school, so popular that the superintendent wants him expelled as he is undermining the authority of the principal. The Principal (Robert Downey Jr.) also happens to be Susan’s alcoholic father, so he’s really not thrilled that his daughter is hanging around with a kid like Charlie. He also doesn’t like the fact that none of the students will listen to him, but if Charlie says jump they don’t even have to ask how high. They just do it.

Charlie Bartlett has some humorous moments, but ultimately it’s a smart comedy. People may complain that this condones drug use in teenagers and makes light of the prescription drug abuse problem in the school system. I don’t feel it condones what Charlie does, nor does it make light of the situation. Still, the story isn’t your conventional teen drama nor does it try to make excuses for the behavior of Charlie, who really isn’t a bad kid. He just really doesn’t think of himself as a kid, and that is what gets him in trouble.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
I received a screener copy for Charlie Bartlett, so I am unable to say much about the quality of the audio and video. 20th Century Fox may not send screeners with the same quality as the final product. Still, for what it’s worth, the option of choosing between 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and 1.33:1 full frames was available and the anamorphic widescreen quality was exceptional. Colors were vibrant, contrast was strong and there were very few visual errors. The normal viewer wouldn’t notice much of anything wrong with this picture.

The audio for Charlie Bartlett is available with English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and Spanish Dolby Digital surround tracks. I don’t speak Spanish so I don’t know how good the quality is for that track. I do speak English, so I can tell you with certainty if the final track is anything like the 5.1 track I heard, there shouldn’t be any complaints. I didn’t have to play with my volume. The dialogue came through loud and clear. It sounded like a typical 5.1 Dolby Digital, high quality track.

Bonus Features:
The screener I received for Charlie Bartlett had a few bonus features. I’m not sure if Fox/MGM plans to add more, but for what it’s worth, here’s what was available on my disc. There were two audio commentaries. One of the commentaries is with the director, Jon Poll and writer, Gustin Nash. The other audio commentary is with Kat Dennings and Anton Yelchin. I liked the dynamics between Yelchin and Dennings better than Poll and Nash. The first is somewhat more informative, but the second is more entertaining. Either way, the commentaries were both just ok.

There is a featurette called “Restroom Confessional”. In it, the cast and crew confess (as their characters) to Charlie. Yelchin confesses to why he hates Charlie Bartlett and the others confess to various obscure things such as Susan letting Charlie know she ‘used to be’ a man. It’s kind of funny, but not as funny as it could have been. The final bonus is a music video for Spiral Beach’s song “Voodoo”. Ever since MTV stopped airing videos I’m kind of not into music videos, so this wasn’t something I enjoyed.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
Charlie Bartlett is enjoyable for what it is. It really isn’t your conventional comedy. If you like eccentric comedy then you might like Charlie Bartlett, but then again you might not. While I thought this was a good movie and would purchase it, I recommend that most people rent this one before purchasing it, just to make sure it’s your cup of tea.

Overall Rating:

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