I support movies that ran at the Tribeca Film Festival, and Charlie Bartlett was a 2007 selection. My boss really liked it, which was enough of a recommendation for me.
If not for cellphones, Charlie Bartlett would appear to be the latest addition to the John Hughes oeuvre; the titular character (Anton Yelchin) in director Jon Poll’s comedy even sounds like Ferris Bueller. Instead, Bartlett comes across as a Wes Anderson side project about the Royal Tenenbaums’ Connecticut cousins.
Gustin Nash’s story of a wildly popular student therapist/prescription-drug dispenser has its funny and satirical moments, particularly as Charlie and bully Murphy (Tyler Hilton) form their partnership, before growing too soft a heart. Hope Davis’ performance as Charlie’s off-kilter mother – her duet with Yelchin on “Those Were the Days” is grown-up stoner humor – provides many laughs, but watching recovering addict Robert Downey Jr. wallow in the bottle as Charlie's principal and nemesis results in more discomfort than amusement.
Still, Bartlett has enough laugh-out-loud parts and engaging acting – Kat Dennings as the principal’s daughter is especially winning – to receive a passing grade.
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