CHARLIE BARTLETT (2008)

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My Reviews:	2 Total

I had been looking forward to this film mainly for the presence of Robert Downey Jr., my favorite living actor. Downey definitely delivers the goods on his end, but I was very pleasantly surprised by Anton Yelchin, who I had expected to be little more than a fairly talented one-liner machine. He is so much more. The young actor portrays a multi-faceted, intelligent youth with an unusual set of the standard teen problems as though he went through the exact same things. At a certain point, the "guy-with-all-the-answers" motif start to get a little tired, but then of course the script throws Bartlett/Yelchin problems he can't answer, at least not with omnipotent ease.

The story has some would-be cliche moments, but these parts manage to come off with the tone of being completely non-derivative, and put a nice spin on some tired gags. The pacing runs a little bit on the rushed side, but not enough to be unpleasant or confusing. Kat Denning co-stars as Charlie's love interest Susan, the principal's (Downey) daughter. Denning fits in nicely with the idea of the film being an intelligent, or "A+" comedy, because she exudes wisdom and a certain grace lacking in most teen female leads.

Downey Jr. serves as both an antagonist and a sympathetic protagonist. I was rooting for his character the whole way through, but I've got something of a soft spot for educators, especially ones dealing with undue pressure from idiotic administration (in this case, a token douche-y super-intendant who wants results without having to work for them). The man quite simply steals the screen, which isn't easy when sharing it with Yelchin and Denning, who command quite a bit of attention in there own right. But, in the end, Downey's scenes, especially the one near the end with the boat, the booze, and the bullets (don't ask), are all his.

Hope Davis is a good fit for Charlie's mother, though a bit dull in some of her dialogue delivery.

The cast in general is well-placed and creates an enjoyable mural from Gustin Nash's refreshingly original script.

A worthwhile step up from John Hughes coming of age pictures. I hope to see more teen comedies of this cadre, that treat high school with an honest view.

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