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Quirky flick deals out laughs

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Also by Alex Truong:

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by Alex Truong

Friday, February 22, 2008

High school is just one long popularity contest. “Charlie Bartlett” proves this with hilarity and affection through the title character’s journey from a prep school expellee to a public school phenomenon.

The high school characters — besides Charlie (Anton Yelchin, “Alpha Dog”), of course — are stereotyped into representatives of every standard clique. Yet despite each individual’s designated posse, cheerleaders, bullies, drama geeks and quiet, suicidal loners all eventually come to Charlie for advice, or just someone to talk to. Charlie is a psychiatrist eager to prescribe, who also has a penchant for a bad streak. With a little help from a drug dealer bully, the school is flooded with prescription drugs ranging from Xanax to Zoloft, all provided through Charlie.

The film embellishes the high school atmosphere a little from time to time, but what movie of this caliber doesn’t? In one scene, a gymnasium full of teenagers take Ritalin during their school dance, but not a single person is reprimanded in the slightest.

Charlie’s charisma prevails throughout the film, as demonstrated by a bevy of misguided youths who still seek his empathetic peer counseling after one customer tries to off himself with an overdose, causing Charlie to temporarily shut down the mini-pharmacy he administers from the boys’ bathroom.

Students address Charlie with all sorts of personal problems, ranging from a breast implant dilemma to the loose cheerleader unable to find a stable relationship because she puts out on the first date.

One of the most memorable roles in “Charlie Bartlett” is that of a scruffy Robert Downey Jr. as the alcoholic Principal Gardner. Scenes of whisky guzzling, self-loathing and neurosis appear pretty close to home, creating moments that are both funny and depressing. Downey does especially well in a climactic scene involving a near-empty bottle of booze, a swimming pool, a remote-controlled motorboat and a handgun.

Downey’s character was only outdone in a few scenes, each involving the absurdity of Charlie’s mother (Hope Davis, “The Hoax”), a classy ex-hippy who — always with a courteous smile — is completely devoid of common sense.

The characters are admittedly a bit over-the-top, but that doesn’t stop them from being likeable. The notion of America’s youth being fed prescription drugs and put under heavy surveillance for control is not easily overlooked or easily missed.

In truth, there isn’t much substance to this film, and the substance that exists is hardly revolutionary, and the whole feel-good attitude of it doesn’t always jive well with the serious issues it tries to address.

In the end, it is Charlie Bartlett’s overwhelming personality and Yelchin’s performance that really make this film. The blue blazer prep school might ring a “Rushmore” bell, but the movie definitely has more of a “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” feel to it. Charlie’s charismatic antics lead him on a quest for popularity, which is understandable, but his ultimate realization and the resolution of the film don’t quite pay off.

Go see this movie, but don’t expect it to be an instant classic.

3 stars out of 5

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