Plot
Longtime film editor Jon Poll (Meet the Fockers and Austin Powers in Goldmember) makes his directorial debut with this coming-of-age comedy about a wealthy public school system newcomer (Anton Yelchin) who wins over his skeptical classmates by serving as a surrogate psychiatrist to the troubled student body. Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis, and Kat Dennings co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, RoviReview
Naming a film after the main character usually means one of two things: 1) They didn't have any better ideas, which should alert viewers to the potential for further creative bankruptcy; 2) They wanted to reward the screenwriter for thinking up a snappy moniker. The trailers for Charlie Bartlett made it seem like a case of #2, hammering home the character's name and prepping audiences for a prep school movie somewhere between Rushmore and Running With Scissors on the eccentricity scale. But Charlie Bartlett is actually a deceptively straightforward teen movie, coming closer to Pump Up the Volume, with the world's nicest ne'er-do-well (Anton Yelchin) ministering to his classmates through amateur psychiatry in the boys' bathroom, rather than a pirate radio show. Yelchin's warm acting style exudes the enthusiasm and vocal mannerisms of a child, and though this is far less sophisticated work than he did in Alpha Dog, it's a winning performance. Equally compelling is Kat Dennings as his love interest, a sassy spitfire similar in temperament to her role in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. The older characters don't fare quite so well -- Hope Davis' Mrs. Bartlett is so underwritten, all she can do is contribute aimless loopiness, and Robert Downey Jr., the should-be-cool principal, ends up displaying personality issues far more alarming than those of his students. While the premise is pretty thin -- how could Charlie dispense advice to a whole queue of prospective "patients" without attracting attention? -- the movie's heart is in the right place, wiping out some of its flaws. Charlie Bartlett also manages a somewhat incisive commentary on teenagers' increasing reliance on (and ease of getting) prescribed pharmaceuticals. ~ Derek Armstrong, RoviCast
- Anton Yelchin - Charlie Bartlett
- Robert Downey, Jr. - Principal Gardner
- Hope Davis - Marilyn Bartlett
- Kat Dennings - Susan Gardner
- Tyler Hilton - Murphy Bivens
- Mark Rendall - Kip Crombwell
- Megan Park - Whitney Drummond
Credit
Joshu de Cartier - Art Director, Gavin Coford - Boom Operator, Richard Hicks - Casting, David Rubin - Casting, Robin D. Cook - Casting, Steve Longi - Co-producer, Gustin Nash - Co-producer, Luis M. Sequeira - Costume Designer, Libby Hodgson - First Assistant Director, Jon Poll - Director, Alan E. Baumgarten - Editor, William Horberg - Executive Producer, Trish Hofmann - Executive Producer, Bruce Toll - Executive Producer, Jennifer Perini - Executive Producer, Richard Hughes - Location Manager, Joseph Boccia - Line Producer, Whitney Brown - Line Producer, Christophe Beck - Composer (Music Score), Dave Jordan - Musical Direction/Supervision, Jojo Villanueva - Musical Direction/Supervision, Mark Willis - Camera Operator, Tim Merkel - Camera Operator, Roger Findley - Camera Operator, Tamara Deverell - Production Designer, Paul Sarossy - Cinematographer, David Permut - Producer, Jay Roach - Producer, Sidney Kimmel - Producer, Barron Kidd - Producer, Michael Haight - Sound/Sound Designer, Michael O'Farrell - Sound/Sound Designer, Henry Embry - Sound/Sound Designer, Wayne Downer - Stunts, Patrick Mark - Stunts, Robert Racki - Stunts, Bryan Thomas - Stunts, Joseph R. Racki - Stunts, Shayna Segal - Stunts, Curtis Parker - Stunts, John Macdonald - Stunts, Joe Eigo - Stunts, Joey Kippax - Stunts, Duncan McLean - Stunts, Branko Racki - Stunts Coordinator, Trish Hofmann - Unit Production Manager, Joseph Boccia - Unit Production Manager, Whitney Brown - Unit Production Manager, Gustin Nash - Screenwriter, Chris Godfrey - Production Assistant, Julia Cohen - Production Assistant, Matt Hals - Production Assistant, Erica Graham - Production Assistant, Cindy Marty - Sound Effects Editor, Lisa Shamata - Unit Publicist, Yvonne Collins - First Assistant Camera, Ciaran Copelin - First Assistant Camera, David Owen - Gaffer, Glen Goodchild - Grip, Jim Kohne - Grip, Richard Emerson - Key Grip, Ben Schor - Music Editor, Andrew Jurgensen - Post Production Coordinator, David Chisholm - Production Coordinator, Michael Meade - Properties, Christopher Geggie - Properties Master, Doug Hemphill - Re-Recording Mixer, Ron Bartlett - Re-Recording Mixer, Susan Marucci - Script Supervisor, Tim Singh - Second Assistant Director, Martin Malivoire - Special Effects Coordinator, Tim Merkel - Steadicam Operator, Ken Woroner - Still Photographer, George Willis - Underwater Photography, Charleen Richards - ADR Mixer, Jason Graham - Assistant Art Director, Jay Duboisson - Assistant Costume Designer, Jenny Arbour - Assistant Hair, John Mendes - Assistant Location Manager, Julia Valente - Assistant Makeup, Brian Patrick - Assistant Properties, Galen Goodpaster - Assistant Sound Editor, Bill Burns - Assistant Sound Editor, Jerry Borris - Best Boy Electric, Matt Taylor - Best Boy Electric, Tracy Shaw - Best Boy Grip, Sean Bourdeau - Best Boy Grip, Sarah Warland - Camera Loader, Stephanie Stenta - Casting Associate, Marc Kuitenbrouwer - Construction Coordinator, Lindsay Jacobs - Costumes Supervisor, Larry Kemp - Dialogue Editor, Robert Cochrane - Draftsman, Delroy P. Jarrett - Electrician, James "Mac" MacCammon - Electrician, Allen Cheng - Electrician, Zamaret Kleiman - Extra Casting, Rose Lister - First Assistant Accountant, Douglas Caron - First Assistant Editor, Catherine Haight - First Assistant Editor, Andy Malcolm - Foley Artist, Goro Koyama - Foley Artist, Caoimhe Doyle - Foley Artist, Bruce Nyznik - Foley Editor, Judie Cooper-Sealy - Key Hairstylist, Linda Dowds - Key Make-up, Jimmy Rich - Personal Assistant, Christine Mammolito - Personal Assistant, Post Accountants, Inc. - Post Production Accountant, Joanne Jackson - Production Accountant, Sue McKibbin - Production Accountant, Zena Bielewicz - Second Assistant Camera, David Taranwsky - Second Assistant Editor, Dan Conley - Set Dresser, Butch Rose - Set Dresser, Paul Renault - Set Dresser, Rob McCallum - Storyboard Artist, Frank Mizzi - Transportation Captain, Mark Van Alstyne - Transportation Coordinator, Zeljka Alosiniac - Set Decorator, The Reel Team - ADR Loop Group, Zach Hunter - Cable Person, Star Grazing - Craft Service/Catering, Catering By David's - Craft Service/Catering, Stanley Lilavois - Craft Service/Catering, Jackie Borosa - Craft Service/Catering, Bruce Raymer - Driver, Jennifer McCormack - Driver, Bill Tataryn - Driver, Grant Volkers - Driver, Wilf Bell - Driver, John Brunt - Driver, Gary Flanagan - Driver, Mike Doyle - Driver, Don White - Foley Recordist, Ron Mellegers - Foley Recordist, J.W. Lee Ionson - Generator Operator, Michelle M. Robeson - Production Secretary, Yerusalem Ghebrhiwet - Set Medic/First Aid, Patrick Murphy - Third Assistant Director, Paul Thompson - Video Assist, Peter Bowman - Video Assist, Jason Graham - Graphic Design, Pacific Vision Productions Inc. - Title Design, Ignite Creative - Title Design, Eric Ladd - Title Design, John Albanis - Assistant Director, Elaine Overholt - Vocal Coach, Anthony Mainelli - Head Carpenter, Steven Conner - Assistant Head Carpenter| Charlie Barnett's Terms of Enrollment (1986 Film), Charlie Ahearn: Artist Portrait Videos (Film) | |
| Charlie Boy (1981 Film), Charlie Bravo (1980 Film) |
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