‘Charlie Bartlett’ is a film
with something to say

At the Movies
By Senitra Horbrook

The subject matter of teens selling drugs to other teens brings an immediate R rating to Charlie Bartlett, yet it still feels like something that both teenagers and anyone who has ever been a teen should see.
Similar to the way Juno brought a fresh perspective to teen pregnancy, Charlie Bartlett does the same with the agonizing days of high school where being liked is more important than anything else. With writer Gustin Nash’s script as his guide, director Jon Poll is able to tackle this tough topic of teen drug abuse in a witty way.
In the movie that opens Friday, title character Charlie (played by Anton Yelchin) is a rich kid who gets expelled for selling fake IDs at his private school. Upon going to public school, Charlie finds a new niche for himself — serving as the school’s unofficial psychiatrist and even dispensing prescription drugs to his classmates.
When Charlie comes home from his first day at public school with a black eye, his mother (Hope Davis) immediately sends him to the family’s psychiatrist (who is appropriately on call, as mother also has some mental-health issues). The psychiatrist thinks Charlie may have ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and prescribes him a mild dosage of Ritalin.
Charlie is confused by this rather unscientific diagnosis, asking the doctor, "If I take the medicine and it helps me concentrate, then you’ll know I have ADD?"
As it turns out, Charlie doesn’t need the Ritalin and taking it gives him a strange high, making him run down the street in his underwear.
Charlie sees both a chance to be liked by his classmates and a business opportunity, so he enlists the school bully (Tyler Hilton) in a new venture. The boys bathroom serves as the official meeting place for students to come to Charlie with their problems (a boy who thinks he doesn’t like girls, a girl considering breast implants, a boy with no friends, etc.). Charlie then takes their info back to his doctor, who keeps prescribing drugs for Charlie to sell to the students.
This is when the movie is at its most interesting and most controversial. However, some of the movie’s plot feels like a rehash of other teen films where the kids challenge "the establishment" that put cameras in their student lounge, chanting "this is school, not a prison."
Robert Downey Jr. plays the school principal, who is struggling with substance-abuse problems (art imitating life?). Charlie is also dating the principal’s daughter, played by Kat Dennings, which causes further conflict.
Yelchin is an up-and-coming talent with the potential to do great work based on his spirited performance here. He had a role in Alpha Dog last year and will be in the Star Trek movie later this year.
What I found most relatable in this film is the portrayal of teen growing pains. The kids turn to Charlie with their problems because the adults just don’t to seem to understand and often aren’t even willing to listen.
Charlie Bartlett is one of those films you will be discussing during the car ride home, and maybe even still thinking about days later. It is humorous without being hokey, serious without being sappy, and it has a very appealing sincerity. ••
Movie Grade: B+