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1/27/2015

Charlie Bartlett (2007) - Charmer Yelchin leads an enjoyable high school movie



+ Best High School Movie of the Year

One very red poster for Jon Poll's Charlie Bartlett

QUICK REVIEW:

Bartlett is a rich kid, who after several private schools finally ends up in a public high school. Being the entrepreneur that he is, he starts offering psycho-pharmaceutical drugs and guidance to the fellow students and falls for the principal's daughter.

Without ever becoming anything spectacular, Charlie Bartlett is a charming film that reminded me of some of the better 80's youth fare. The film has its heart in the right place and a brimming Anton Yelchin (Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)) in the title lead. Robert Downey Jr. (Zodiac (2007)), Hope Davis (About Schmidt (2002)) and newcomer Kat Dennings (Thor (2011)) also do well.
The movie may strike you as a bit annoying at first, but it soon wins the heart of the romantically disposed. Russian-born Yelchin looks like an actor with a bright future ahead of him here, which has certainly proven to be the case thus far.
The film is directed by editor Jon Poll (Meet the Parents (2000), editor), who is trying to get his next feature off the ground, the romcom Responsible Adults.

Related posts:

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 





Watch the film's trailer here

Cost: 12 mil. $
Box office: 5.2 mil. $
= Huge flop
[Despite mostly decent reviews, the film fared very poorly in cinemas, perhaps scaring some film-makers away from making traditional youth-films, (youth films today are often eschewed towards other genres like sci-fi or horror, which is perceived to be more popular these days.) Bartlett made 3.9 mil. $ (75 % of its total gross) in the US.]

What do you think of Charlie Bartlett?

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