On a recent trip to the local drug store to buy some brand-name nasal decongestant, I was surprised to find that what was once an over the counter medication had become a BTC product with a daily purchase limit as well as the need for a full copy of one's driver's license. The reason, it seems, is that kids were buying the product for the pseudoephedrine it contained and then using that to get high.
It seems like a roundabout way to achieve that altered mental state, but then again, kids have been sniffing glue and breathing in various inhalants for decades, not to mention imbibing the more straightforward booze and illegal narcotics. While some do it just for fun, they and many other teens partake in such behavior to escape the doldrums and/or trauma of adolescence and life in general.
That behavior and related theme are the underlying current that runs through "Charlie Bartlett," a fairly entertaining dramedy about the teenage experience. Of course, teen angst in the movies is nothing new, and can range from serious fair such as "River's Edge" to high concept talk-fests such as "The Breakfast Club" to fun comedies such as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
Interestingly enough, all of those flicks and many other related ones come from the 1980s, and this offering easily could have settled in with that period mix just as surely as it might be signaling another decade of heightened angst as viewed through the cinema.
What's undeniable is that despite its treading through overly familiar waters, director Jon Poll and writer Gustin Nash have made their collaborative filmmaking debut sparkle with a fresh view of old matters, sharp and witty dialogue, and good performances from their cast. Accordingly, what could have been just more of the same old, same old feels surprisingly new once again.
Poll and Nash obviously deserve much of the praise for that. Their filmmaking approach smartly mixes bits of black comedy and observational satire into the usual genre trappings, all without getting too heavy-handed with any of those ingredients, lest they tilt the pic too far in the wrong direction.
Of course, they greatly benefit from solid work in front of the camera, most notably from Anton Yelchin in the title role. Much like Emile Hirsh and -- much earlier -- Tom Cruise went on to bigger and better things following their breakout performances, the young actor seems poised for the same thing after his spot-on performance here. What makes Charlie so appealing -- despite his various issues -- is that he's charming and wants to befriend and help everyone, and that and his character's interactions with others go a long way in making the film appealing and enjoyable to watch.
It doesn't hurt that Robert Downey, Jr. can obviously tap into his own, real-life substance addictions playing the protagonist's nemesis, an alcoholic principal. Throw in good work by Hope Davis as his less than outstanding role model mom, Tyler Hilton as a unique school bully, and Kat Dennings as the young love interest, and the stage is set for a keen dramedy.
With a plethora of fun and funny little touches -- such as the title of the students' school play being "Hell Comes With Your Own Locker" -- the film plays up and off moviedom's teen angst conventions in enough of a fresh and tactfully quirky way that it's a winning offering.
Things may have come a long way since Lucy set up her lemonade and psychiatry stand to help her fellow Peanuts kids with their issues, but "Charlie Bartlett" is more than entertaining and insightful enough to warrant an appointment for a cinematic meeting. It rates as a 6.5 out of 10.
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