Cinematic Hub: Not Bad for Time Killing

A Latin speaking, wealthy kid in a public school, also fairly good looking and kind. What would you expect? Drugs, sex, juvenile delinquency. What you would be expecting in this movie psychology, love, sunshine, and rainbows. Charlie Bartlett – what kind of a name of a movie is Charlie Bartlett? I get Nelson Mandela, Lincoln, but I don’t get Charlie Bartlett. He positions himself as his new school's resident psychiatrist, offering treating sessions in the school’s bathroom and writes prescriptions.

This movie is really not made in the right time to be this cheesy and meaningless. Looking at the script I would say it should date back to the 90s. It is supposed to be a family comedy drama targeting the hypocrisy, apathy and helplessness in society. But judging from today’s point of view, this is really just a TV movie that can probably enter the preliminary selection of Best Supporting Actor in a comedy series, if it is a thing.

Anton Yelchin stars as Charlie Bartlett, I would say that he did a good job. Staring in a movie like this requires you to be able to show that your character is a real person and not a real person at the same time. Sometimes actors gets too far into the situation and the movie either seems completely absurd or the actors is always breaking the fourth wall. His character was actually genuine and cute. He's confident, smart but vulnerable. The confounded look that he has on his face was precious for this film. Getting beaten up, selling drugs, having sex, all with that look on his face. This actor is a natural at playing naive.

Hope Davis was also enjoyable to watch. Sensitive, neurotic, adoring, not too hard for her as a versatile actress. Robert Downey Jr. is still himself, playing the absolutely same type of character each time but still welcomed every time because of his likability.