Just AWFUL
This movie was painful to watch from beginning to lame, predictable end. Not even a quarter of the way through, and I was already hoping for the main character to "off" himself. That would've been a small, glimmering light cast upon this completely in-the-dark movie. Instead, I will just have to settle for Robert Downey Jr.'s performance.
This movie was completely pointless and contrived. Think "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", then detach all realism and common sense and you will have "Charlie Bartlett". It would be a run-of-the-mill teen movie if not for the total lack of a story, enormous plotholes, and the ridiculously incomprehensible devotion to the main character as the focus.
Anton Yelchin shows absolutely no range as an actor in this movie. He expresses sadness by giving us a kind of "puppy-dog" look and slumping his head over and happiness by over-the-top smiling. His voice is like that of a pre-pubescent boy and is basically a monotone throughout the movie. They were likely trying to emphasize his calm, cool, and collected nature but instead it ended up seeming very unnatural and forced. On top of that, the character had no depth whatsoever, but that is no fault of the actor.
So, Charlie gets kicked out of private school and enlisted into a vastly different public school resulting in the "fish-out-of-water". Charlie is sent to a shrink for his misdeeds, and is prescribed with Ritalin. He gets high and decides to peddle it at school. Here's the funny part: he becomes an overnight sensation because of it. Every student gets high off of Ritalin at a school dance and mayhem ensues. All of a sudden, all of the kids at school want to see him because he's the guy that's got the goods. Charlie manages to somehow not be discovered by the principal (Downey Jr.) and continues to peddle meds to way too many kids out of the school bathroom for two weeks or so. When he is finally discovered to have been nearly liable for the death of a fellow student (unsuccessful suicide attempt) he is suspended for a whole three days. No jail time necessary, not even an expulsion. In the end, the problem and solution to everybody's problem is within Charlie Bartlett. I'm going to cut this short because I'm not looking to do a monologue.
2/10