Charlie Bartlett, like Juno, proves that the next generation of teen comedies is intelligent, witty and sophisticated—something the Freddie Prinze Jr. movies of the ‘90s were lacking. Perhaps the movie industry finally wised up by delivering a film that suits the intelligence level of teens because, let’s face it: they’re smarter than they look.
The movie, written by newbie Gustin Nash, is about the stereotypical lonely rich boy (Anton Yelchin) who acts out in order to become popular. After Charlie Bartlett gets kicked out of the last private school in town, his mother (played by the versatile Hope Davis) exclaims, “There’s more to high school than being liked,” but Charlie, like the rest of the modern world, doesn’t agree and spends the rest of the movie disregarding this very statement as he tries to become the most popular boy at West South High School, his first public school. Charlie finds himself on the cusp of popularity when he starts reaching out to his peers by offering psychiatric advice and prescription pills that he's conned out of various doctors around town. Although this scheme may seem far-fetched, the reasons why these teens confide in Charlie are because they face issues such as homosexuality, promiscuity, depression, and other insecurities that most real-life teens face today. Suddenly this unrealistic story finds commonalities among every bully, cheerleader, punk, loner and band geek. This realization, along with some heavy obstacles Charlie faces from his decision to hand out prescription pills, makes Charlie realize that it’s best to act his age, and just be a carefree kid.
The movie is somewhat predictable and all of the loose ends tie up rather conveniently, but it is the dialogue between Yelchin and Davis that makes this teen comedy into a unique movie-going experience. Yelchin’s (Alpha Dog) performance as Charlie Bartlett will open doors for this young actor whose monologue from “The Misadventures of a Teenage Renegade” early on in the film had the audience laughing until the point of tears. Davis’s performance as a drugged up WASP of a mother who acts more as a friend than a responsible guardian will have the audience cringing in their seats when she breaks into song and dance, giving an impromptu performance for Charlie and his love interest, played by Kat Dennings (The 40 Year Old Virgin). It is the unhealthy mother-son relationship, as well as the ongoing theme of hope that make this film a realistic look at the life of teens today.
The vivid personality of each character, as well as the intelligent script, make the teen comedies of yesteryear look more suitable for ABC Family, rather than Regal Cinemas. Charlie Bartlett will have the audience cheering throughout the movie. If you want to stand up to the bullies, fall for the girl of your dreams or revisit the days of just wanting to fit in, then this movie will fulfill all of those desires. Charlie Bartlett is playing with the big boys of the sophisticated comedies and proves that catering to the intelligence of the target audience not only will satisfy teens, but it’ll also satisfy the parents sitting in the back corner of the theatre, spying on their kids’ first dates.
The movie is somewhat predictable and all of the loose ends tie up rather conveniently, but it is the dialogue between Yelchin and Davis that makes this teen comedy into a unique movie-going experience. Yelchin’s (Alpha Dog) performance as Charlie Bartlett will open doors for this young actor whose monologue from “The Misadventures of a Teenage Renegade” early on in the film had the audience laughing until the point of tears. Davis’s performance as a drugged up WASP of a mother who acts more as a friend than a responsible guardian will have the audience cringing in their seats when she breaks into song and dance, giving an impromptu performance for Charlie and his love interest, played by Kat Dennings (The 40 Year Old Virgin). It is the unhealthy mother-son relationship, as well as the ongoing theme of hope that make this film a realistic look at the life of teens today.
The vivid personality of each character, as well as the intelligent script, make the teen comedies of yesteryear look more suitable for ABC Family, rather than Regal Cinemas. Charlie Bartlett will have the audience cheering throughout the movie. If you want to stand up to the bullies, fall for the girl of your dreams or revisit the days of just wanting to fit in, then this movie will fulfill all of those desires. Charlie Bartlett is playing with the big boys of the sophisticated comedies and proves that catering to the intelligence of the target audience not only will satisfy teens, but it’ll also satisfy the parents sitting in the back corner of the theatre, spying on their kids’ first dates.
1 comment:
I think that Yelchin is LOL hilarious in this movie. I really thought it was going to be another teen-bop movie to add to the never-ending list of them, but I laughed throughout this whole movie! I hope to see a lot more of him in the future along with his witty personality from "Charlie Bartlett."
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