Charlie Bartlett

Charlie Bartlett is an enigmatic youth. He has just been kicked out of another private school, this time for selling fake ids, causing his mother (Hope Davis, The Matador, American Splendor), to enroll him into public school. Things for Charlie (Anton Yelchin, Alpha Dog, Hearts in Atlantis) do not go smoothly, however, for Charlie on his first day at his new school. To start, he is repeatedly mistaken for a teacher due to choice of wearing a private school blazer and to carry a satchel. As a result, the school bully, Murphey Bivens (Tyler Hilton, Walk the Line, One Tree Hill), decides to beat up Charlie. Despite this, Charlie is anxious to fit in and he even tries out for the school play on his first day. His somewhat bizarre behavior, including reciting a scene from the Vagina Monologues for his tryout, catches the eye of Susan Gardner (Kat Dennings, 40 Year Old Virgin, Raise Your Voice).
Charlie, being the young enterpriser that he is, figures out a way to make lemonade from his lemons. Rather than shirking away in fear from Murphey, Charlie partners up with him and together they sell some of Charlie’s prescription meds to the students at a dance, with fantastic results. The next day, Charlie begins offering anonymous psychiatric help through the stalls of the boy’s bathroom. Charlie offers suggestions and even hands out prescriptions from his ridiculous stash due to his overzealous team of psychiatrists trying to medicate him through his life. Soon, Charlie transitions from school nobody to the big man on campus. He is asked to help lead the revolt against they tyrannical school board and principal, Principal Gardner (Robert Downey Jr., A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), Susan’s father.
Charlie Bartlett is a delight to watch. Robert Downey Jr. is amazing as the tormented principal who is trying to be both an authority figure to a school of teenagers and also a father for Susan. Anton Yelchin shines as Charlie Bartlett, a kid who hides behind his comedy and a veil of caring to avoid dealing with his own problems, an absent father and a medically absent mother. Charlie Bartlett is going to launch Anton’s acting career into the cosmos. Tyler Hilton and Kat Dannings are tremendous as well.
Charlie Bartlett is a film with heart and soul. It accurately depicts the difficulties of being a teenager these days and takes on the readiness of professionals to medicate kids to make them easier to deal with. It would be nice if everyone had a little more Charlie Bartlett in them.