Poor “Charlie Bartlett”
Charlie Bartlett, which opened weakly last weekend, is a smart teen dramedy about an enterprising kid (Anton Yelchin) who peddles prescription drugs and dispenses psychiatric advice on the side. It’s about the spirit of entrepeurialism in the vein of Risky Business, Rushmore and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, which is to say it’s about a young lad shuffling around with the style and attitude of a likable sociopath.
Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey, Jr. in Charlie Bartlett
It was a wee bit disappointing, to me, when Yelchin developed a conscience and a sense of responsibility at the end. Even though this was the right way to go, I prefer the company of nervy rule-breakers. The truth is that for me, Charlie Bartlett is a little tame, a little too well-mannered. And Yelchin is a little too mild, too ready with the twinkly-eyed smile. He’s a skilled actor, but he just doesn’t have the heavy chemistry of a movie star.
The plot ambles along from one thing to another and eventually things reach their end point. Yelchin’s character gets tossed out of prep school (like Rushmore‘s Max Fischer), adjusts to the new rules, becomes a Ritalin dealer, makes new friends, meets a nice sensitive girl and gradually gets laid, gets caught and disciplined, re-assesses, grows up.
And yet Charlie Bartlett, mild and mitigated though it may be, never plays it overly dumb or coy and lowbrow. And the performances are all pretty solid, especially Yelchin’s and Robert Downey‘s as a screwed-down high school principal.
David Permut
There are just two problems. One is that Bartlett got slapped down last Friday by 50% of the Rotten Tomato creme de la creme. The other is that the film opened sixteenth last weekend with a per-screen average of $1636.
This means that no matter how well Bartlett fared in exit polls last weekend, the game is more or less over. It’ll be gone before you know it and a Netflix title three or four months after that. It would be a better world, for sure, if worthy little films like Charlie Bartlett could be given time to find their audience. But we don’t live in it.
I had a nice chat last Thursday with Charlie Bartlett producer David Permut. Definitely a spirited conversation with a good fellow (who’s also the producer of the forthcoming Youth in Revolt, to be directed by Miguel Arteta and star Michael Cera).
I’m sorry I didn’t run the story last Thursday night or Friday, but the rigors of Oscar weekend got the better of me. And I’m sorry that Charlie Bartlett got kicked to the ground last weekend. I wish it were otherwise. You could do worse than to go out and catch it this weekend. But hurry up.
one of the problems with films like ‘charlie bartlett’ is that we never really know just how well it does at the box office… because it’s rating keeps out a lot of it’s target audience, we don’t know how many kids buy their ‘spiderwick…’ tickets and slip into ‘cb’……i’d love to see it do well (even well-ish)…..one of the best so far this season……
this movie was originally to open in august. what happened?
The movie is far too mild. Whenever conflicts arise they are almost instantly resolved with no real damage to anyone involved. It’s only worth watching for Downey who spins his usual silk.
I saw Charlie Bartlett last Friday night and loved it. I think it could catch on if they give it a chance. I loved the use of the song “If You Want to Sing Out” from Harold and Maude. In my mind it was a respectful tip of the hat to another classic coming of age movie. One thought here.. I really feel that the R rating for this movie kept a lot of kids out. The theater I went into was full of middle aged folk. My friend in Toronto said her theater was full of teenagers and they laughed and clapped throught the whole thing. In Canada for those who don’t know the rating system is different and 14 year olds could see it. Too bad that is not the case here. Anyway.. go see it. I think it is worth the time and money.
Rushmore clone.
>>>this movie was originally to open in august. what happened?
this movie was PAINFULLY HORRID. just awful. unwise, unfunny, and unnecessary. any movie that even slightly evokes the supremely unwatchable IGBY GOES DOWN is fighting an uphill battle, but with downey in the cast i was more than willing to give it a chance. a few smirks aside (and lots of cameos from the DEGRASSI cast, woo!) this is utter dreck.
i’d say more but nobody cares and – more importantly – the results of the NHL trade deadline are beginning to play out…
This movie is classic and you can tell because it is either loathed or loved. I enjoyed while my buddy who has previously worked for Permut (disclaimer) wanted his two hours back. It deserves better.
I interviewed with Permut about 3 years ago…nice guy…he has a wonderful lobby standee from Face/Off in the lobby of his office. Very cool. Love that film.
…I prefer the company of nervy rule-breakers
Rocco to Wells: Nervy rule-breakers watch self-aggrandizing, award pageant shows?
You are a walking, talking contradiction.
So if they’d called it CHAZ, let Jason Reitman direct, and put some Mountain Goats on the soundtrack, it would be on its way to 120 million.
Scooterzz… remember the diff between “it’s” and “its”? no, apparently s’not
Permut ain’t beans. In the mid-90s Movieline ran an article profiling how he’d lost investors’ cash on a record career of flops… the point of the article was How on earth does he keep getting second chances from studios and financiers …
UNTIL his charitable buddy Jonathan Krane took pity and helped him out by tossing Dave a shared credit on Face/Off, which saved Permut’s ass by allowing him to claim a first-ever smash. What else has Permut delivered in the past decade, besides milking that?
smurf — sorry ’bout the apostrophe (but if that sort of thing bothers you, you really shouldn’t be on message boards)….
i kind of like permut…he’s done some good stuff (and has some really good stuff coming up)…
now, are you talking about the same jonathan krane who produces crappy vanity nightclub acts for his slag wife and went on to produce such blockbusters as ‘boris and natasha’, ‘lucky you’, ‘battlefield earth’, ‘michael’ and any number of scientology related junk?…..
jus’ wonderin’……..
This Anton Yelchin kid was great in the highly entertaining Hank Azaria Showtime series, HUFF.
Problem with moviegoers they dont like films with names in ‘em: MICHAEL COLLINS, MICHAEL CLAYTON, CHARLLIE BARTLETT –
The title didnt help quite frankly.
And JUNO bombed for the same reason;]