February 8, 2008
By Lara de Matos
Director: Jon Poll
Cast: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr, Tyler Hilton, Hope Davis, Kat Dennings
Classification: 13L
Running Time: 95 minutes
Rating:*****
Forget finding your life purpose. The teens are a time when your thoughts centre on what kind of clothes to wear, which night spots to frequent, how many pimples you can pop without leaving a fingernail scar and figuring out how to get a "foot in" with the cool kids. Ultimately, all this is carried out with a mind to realising every adolescent's supreme goal: popularity.
From the moment he stepped across the threshold of what was to be the first of many private education facilities, Charlie Bartlett (Yelchin) understood this primal law of the school-going species. That's why he's determined to fit in and in so doing, acquire that all-too-fickle admiration from his fellow students.
But Charlie's not about to cover his skin in skull tattoos, dye his hair black or do any of the other things typical of teens trying to make the status cut.
This rich kid-turned-public-school-goer takes the road less travelled on his journey to popularity central, by setting up his own pseudo psychiatry practice (complete with prescription drugs) in the cubicles of the boys' bathroom!
And what makes his project even more inspired is that he brings the bully who initially made his life a misery (Hilton) in on the act.
Marking the feature film debut for both director, Jon Poll and writer, Gustin Nash, Charlie Bartlett offers a fresh and thought-provoking take on the teen rebel figure. In what could be described as a Ferris Bueller's Day Off for the modern intellectual, Poll and Nash tackle some of the chief concerns affecting the youth (loneliness, disillusionment, drug abuse, alienation) from a comical-bordering-on-cynical perspective, rather than opting for the predictable melodramatic "meltdown moments" usually associated with this genre.
In what's bound to be his breakthrough film role, Yelchin dazzles as the brilliantly-minded (albeit off-his-rocker) new kid on the school block
.
Faced with the mammoth responsibility of carrying the whole flick on his skinny shoulders, the young actor does so with a deep sense of regard for his fellow cast, and without allowing his natural ability to play on comedic nuances to detract from the significance of the issues at hand.
But no review would be complete without making mention of the man who remains a great talent regardless of his personal downfalls - Robert Downey Jr.
Downey Jr perfectly encapsulates the world-weariness of the once reputable history teacher turned disrespected principal, whose unfulfilled bureaucratic existence has driven him to gun-wielding (yet surprisingly calm and contained) bouts in the company of the bottle.
Charlie Bartlett undoubtedly has the makings of a cult classic.
The Reel Lowdown
Best Line: "I think one of our duties as teenagers is
to piss off our parents." Charlie imparts one of his
many pseudo-philosophies on life.
Best Bit: When school bully, Murphy, is put in his place by Charlie’s "mentally challenged" lollipop-licking side-kick,
while the three youths are seated inside Charlie’s limo.
Worst Bit:When Susan (Dennings) sings during a school play. Given the way her co-characters wax lyrically about
her singing ability, you would expect a more exceptional
performance than that which she offers.
If You Liked: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Rushmore or
(most recently) Brick, you’ll enjoy this teen-themed
film for the thinking man.
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