After watching the mildly entertaining, new teen flick "Charlie Bartlett," the targeted young audience members should be left with one prevailing thought: How gratifying it must have been to be a teenage moviegoer in the '80s.
On the surface, "Charlie Bartlett" appears to have an original concept. After the last in a series of expulsions for combating authority, the rich-boy title character is plunged into the unseemly world of public high school.
To obtain the popularity he so desperately craves, Charlie anoints himself as his peers' psychiatrist, holding sessions in bathroom stalls and even going so far as to "prescribing" medications to his teenage classmates. However, Charlie is eventually forced to reevaluate his newly acquired status once school authorities learn of his illegal treatments.
The notion of an outcast gaining recognition through the supplying and abusing of drugs or alcohol is not at all a new concept in teen films: One needs only to look at classics like "The Breakfast Club" and the recent release, "Superbad"). "Charlie Bartlett" made no attempt to distance itself from this cliché other than to update the type of substance abused.
Another core problem with the film is its unrealistic representation of high-school life. The idea that students of all kinds would listen to the advice of a know-it-all just because he has access to prescription drugs is absurd. As result, the nonchalance with which Charlie receives his notoriety is almost scary - just imagine what Ferris Bueller must have done to become so well-liked.
The lack of originality can be attributed to the inexperienced filmmakers. First-time screenwriter Gustin Nash produced a script that, though funny, lacks an original message. Likewise, editor-turned-director Jon Poll fails to capture many of the nuances of high-school life with his uninspired direction.
One filmmaking aspect, which completely scored for this film, was casting. From the top down, the cast of actors executed flawlessly.
As the charismatic and sporadic title character, Anton Yelchin ("Hearts in Atlantis") is brilliant. He demonstrates himself to be a unique talent as he perfectly delivers many hilarious lines and breaks into song at the family piano.
Arguably, Yelchin's best scene is in the limousine outside of prison where his father is serving time for tax evasion. The audience is able to recognize Charlie's inner turmoil without Yelchin having to speak a single word.
As Charlie's would-be girlfriend, Kat Dennings ("The 40 Year Old Virgin") leads a strong supporting teenage cast. Dennings holds her own in many heated scenes with veteran actor Robert Downey, Jr., who plays her alcoholic father and the school's principal.
In the end, the film may be remembered more for introducing the world to the many talents of Yelchin, as well as the strong performances of the supporting cast than for its lackluster script. In fact, the filmmakers should hope this be the case because, otherwise, the film itself is nothing out of the ordinary.
