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‘Charlie Bartlett' is quite dysfunctional

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When I leave for work each day or when I speak about my job, I rarely call it work. As a teacher, I tend to refer to my job as school and I have been in school (as a teacher) for nearly 20 years and many years before that as a student - and not a student whom teachers remember fondly. I can comfortably say I have seen both sides of the educational coin, and with that in mind, I went into “Charlie Bartlett,” starring Anton Yelchin, Hope Davis and Robert Downey Jr. hoping for a mature, seriously funny (and I mean that in the paradoxical sense) teen film. While strong on characterization, former film editor, first-time director Jon Poll's film fails to formulate a clear message or an entirely believable storyline.

Charlie, like J.D. Salinger's character from “Catcher in the Rye,” Holden Caulfield, has been kicked out of every prep school his well-to-do mother can buy off, and he reaches his final strike when he's caught selling fake IDs to fellow students. His mother has no choice, but to send him to - gasp - public school. On the first day, after getting on the Special Ed bus rather than go by limo to avoid drawing attention to himself, Charlie is given a swirly (head in toilet and a flush) by the school's bullies. He doesn't fit in and he knows it. His mother, who drinks and takes anti-depressants, calls in a shrink (a house call), who diagnoses ADHD and prescribes Ritalin to Charlie. Soon, Charlie, who doesn't actually have attention deficit disorder, takes far too much of the drug and experiences an insane speed rush, during which he comes up with an idea for his next enterprise.

At school Charlie discovers that many of his classmates have issues and in short order he is a bathroom stall psychiatrist, dispensing meds (obtained from his visits with multiple shrinks and at his mother's expense) and advice to an ever-growing group of students. His popularity soars and he begins dating the principal's (Downey) daughter, Susan (played by talented and striking Kat Dennings). The principal, who hates his job, his life and himself, has his own set of issues and self-medicates with alcohol. He hates Charlie too, but more because of his own inadequacies rather than anything Charlie does - although he does plenty.

Bottom line, the film's characters each harbor personal demons. Sadly, we are a society that medicates. I can't remember a time when drug commercials did not dominate our televisions and when we handled our problems at home. Parents' bathroom cabinets - not the dark alley way or street corner - have become the place to score drugs. Charlie's rise is beleaguered by logical shortcomings which are hard to forgive. If the film was as funny or satirically biting as it should have been, I might have looked past the absence of good adult role models, far-fetched story details and limited realism beyond characterization.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Poll, who told me that screenwriter Gustin Nash's script was one of countless scripts he read and he instantly knew it was the one for his directorial debut. The characters were real to him and, indeed, I cannot agree more; his characters reveal the true and sometimes highly scary side of youth (and adult life) - with all its angst, dysfunction and disillusionment.

I have to give kudos to all the leads in “Charlie Bartlett.” For Yelchin, this role will most certainly launch his career to the next level. His versatility amazed me and his uncanny ability to capture all aspects of Charlie impressed. Downey and Davis - almost the lone adults in the film - capture the essence of good people who make bad choices and make even worse role models. Downey has had his share of public drug issues, so one can't help but compare him to his character. Davis is perfection in her role as Charlie's emotionally fractured mother, whose main fault lies in her inability to face his problems or her own problems head-on.

But what is Poll and Nash's message? Curious, I myself asked Poll, a delightfully articulate man, who has a passion for his work. When I asked if the message is meant to be hopeful, shocking, disturbing or inspiring, he answered, “Optimistic.” In what way, I asked? And to that he replied, and I am not quoting directly, that he hoped teens would see that prescription drugs are not the answer and that they are not alone in their troubles. The film does do that in a way, but as an adult, my concern is whether or not this message is clear and what other messages “Charlie Bartlett” sends, regarding the psychiatric community and schools for starters.

One of my students has seen the rightly R-rated “Charlie Bartlett” and he “loved it.” I did not love it, but I did not hate it either. It did feel somewhat dark and rather unsatisfying to me. Partly because of the subject matter and the obvious dysfunction of its characters, but also because it left me unsettled. Poll's cast is wonderful and his directorial debut should be applauded but - and maybe this is because I liked “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” so much - Nash's story never let me feel really connected, comfortable or satisfied with any one aspect. When I asked Poll if “Charlie Bartlett” was being compared to “Ferris Bueller,” he said yes, and noted that he is a big fan of John Hughes, but he did not see any similarities himself. If it can be compared, the contrast lies in the differences - skipping school in the ‘80s to dealing prescription drugs in 2008. That, alone, I find unsettling.

I am placing a C+ in my gradebook; some aspects deserve higher, others do not.

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