charlie bartlett

Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin) has been expelled from every private school he ever attended and is down to his final option: public school.

The school has the stereotypical cast of bullies, jocks and loners who are all in need of some help. With an entrepreneurial spirit and some help from the witless family shrink, Charlie becomes an underground psychiatrist, dispensing prescription drugs and advice to his schoolmates. However, Bartlett soon falls for the principal's daughter, Susan (Kat Dennings) and draws the watchful eye of her father (Robert Downey Jr.) who begins to unravel Charlie's world and force him to find a different way to make a difference in his classmates' lives.

The strangest thing about this comedy-with-a-message is its complete refusal to acknowledge the seriousness of Charlie's actions. The drugs he peddles to his classmates are not only illegal without a prescription but also potentially dangerous. The consequences of this drug trade are laughable and appear almost as an afterthought on the part of writer Gustin Nash. For a comedy that tries to be grounded in reality, a stronger focus on the severity of Charlie's crimes could have added tremendous depth to this surprisingly shallow movie.

The film's biggest success is casting. The actors seem made for their rolls. Yelchin and Dennings display excellent chemistry, and Downey is superb as the troubled, scotch-drinking principal. The actors do their best to bring the occasionally flat script to life, but sometimes their talents cannot overcome Nash's poor writing.

Jon Poll, in his first directorial effort since 1982, demonstrates his rust. Scenes feel out of place and characters never develop.

If there is a moral to this movie, it is that teenagers are still children. They should not worry too much about their image and relish their fleeting youth.

Charlie Bartlett is not great, but it's a fairly entertaining picture. Just don't take it too seriously if you want to enjoy it.