Opening

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—— A Green Story
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—— After Earth May 31
—— Now You See Me May 31
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100% The Kings of Summer May 31

Charlie Bartlett (2007)

tomatometer

56

Average Rating: 5.8/10
Reviews Counted: 131
Fresh: 74 | Rotten: 57

With engaging performances marked by an inconsistent tone, Charlie Bartlett is a mixed bag of clever teen angst comedy and muddled storytelling.

55

Average Rating: 5.9/10
Critic Reviews: 31
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 14

With engaging performances marked by an inconsistent tone, Charlie Bartlett is a mixed bag of clever teen angst comedy and muddled storytelling.

audience

71

liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 103,840

My Rating

Movie Info

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, Rovi

R,

Comedy

Gustin Nash

Jun 24, 2008

$3.7M

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All Critics (136) | Top Critics (33) | Fresh (74) | Rotten (59) | DVD (9)

The movie as a whole is a sweet pill to swallow.

February 22, 2008 Full Review Source: Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Charlie Bartlett is a refreshingly entertaining character study that refuses to dumb down its youthful cast or bury their concerns in service of a catchy soundtrack.

February 22, 2008 Full Review Source: USA Today
USA Today
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The characters remain halfway between genuine comic creations and realistic individuals, and the whole narrative feels artificial, stuck in the tension between being a morality play and a freewheeling comedy.

February 22, 2008 Full Review Source: Toronto Star
Toronto Star
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Those waiting for the arrival of the next Juno may want to skip Charlie Bartlett, a relentlessly earnest teen film about a 17-year-old misfit who's been tossed out of one prep school after another for bad behavior.

February 22, 2008 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Imagine an R-rated Ferris Bueller with only the most annoying parts of the younger Matthew Broderick's screen persona emphasized and you'll draw a bead on Bartlett.

February 22, 2008 Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel
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A comedy that strains so hard to be edgy it nearly pulls a muscle.

February 22, 2008 Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger
Newark Star-Ledger
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Writer Gustin Nash and director Jon Poll have their Ferris Bueller thing working perfectly, with a few 2008 wrinkles.

April 28, 2011 Full Review Source: East Bay Express
East Bay Express

There are sweet moments, and there are funny moments, but it all just becomes so eye-rollingly calculated that it's hard to appreciate.

September 4, 2009 Full Review Source: Times-Picayune
Times-Picayune

'It is our duty as teenagers to piss off our parents,' Charlie says. The film succeeds only in pissing off the viewer.

August 27, 2009 Full Review Source: CinePassion | Comment (1)
CinePassion

The promising themes peter out as the film loses direction, though, and Bartlett is neither sympathetic enough to root for nor dumb enough to laugh at.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Guardian [UK]
Guardian [UK]

Charlie Bartlett plays it too safe.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders
Entertainment Insiders

Lightweight fare, but a pleasant outing.

October 18, 2008 Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan
San Diego Metropolitan

Charlie Bartlett is a poor man's Rushmore. There is a great film waiting to be made about psychiatry, anti-depressants and our youth, but this isn't it.

August 27, 2008 Full Review Source: The Scorecard Review
The Scorecard Review

Mostly this was a quirky, smart, inspiring, and surprisingly enjoyable High School movie.

July 22, 2008 Full Review
Sin Magazine

Robert Downey Jr. playing an alcoholic principal lecturing on the dangers of drugs is one of those wonderfully ironic, Twilight Zone moments that only Hollywood can provide.

July 21, 2008 Full Review Source: Paste Magazine
Paste Magazine

Charlie Bartlett is the Ferris Bueller of our drug addled age. Except he's not a fraction of the charmer ol' Ferris was.

July 11, 2008 Full Review Source: Washington Times
Washington Times

Edgy high school comedy better for mature viewers.

July 9, 2008 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media

Audience Reviews for Charlie Bartlett

A fun but rather annoying film that doesn't really give much to the audience. More aimed at teenage girls, I'd recommend it simply down to Yelchin and Downey Jr's performances.
March 18, 2008
StarCrossedVoyager

Super Reviewer

Charlie Bartlett: Oh trust me doc, bringing psychiatric drugs and teenagers together is like opening a lemonade stand in the desert. 

"Popularity is a state of mind."

I am extremely pleased with Charlie Bartlett. Not that I am surprised I liked it so much, as I am a huge fan of both Anton Yelchin and Robert Downey Jr., and the premise was awesome. Sure there were plot elements that were less than unlikely and scenes that really turned up the melodrama for no particular reason, but for the most part it was a really good set in high school movie.

Charlie Bartlett gets kicked out of his fancy private school for selling fake ID's and must go back to his huge mansion with his mother and attend public school. Charlie less than fits in with the kids at this new school, so he tries to fins a way to win them over. He chooses drugs. All kids want to get high and that is his way to get popular and also make some cash on the side. Then he starts offering psychiatric help for all the kids in his school in the bathroom. The principal isn't very fond of him and that is heightened when Charlie and his daughter start hanging out.

I thought the film was extremely cool and had a pretty good concept. I like the idea of a kid no one likes finding a way to become the cool kid. Yeah it has been done before, but never like this. Yelchin owns every role he's ever had. Not once have I seen him in a movie and not been totally impressed and convinced by his performance. That is saying quite a bit since he started young. It doesn't look like he is going to fade out like some young actors do, at least I hope not.

The movie has some fun sequences and some insightful ones. The insightful ones are a little overdone, I'll admit; and yeah, there are some incredibly cliched characters. But come on, high school is one big cliche and all the characters in this film really exist in just about every high school in the world. Overall the film works because of its cool premise and two actors who nail their roles. 
November 28, 2011
blkbomb
Melvin White

Super Reviewer

    1. Marilyn Bartlett: Well maybe there's more to high school than being well liked.
    2. Charlie Bartlett: Like what specifically?
    3. Marilyn Bartlett: ... Nothing comes to mind.
    – Submitted by Gabriella S (10 months ago)
    1. Henry Freemont: This is a school not a prison!
    2. Principal Gardner: Thanks, because I couldn't read the sign.
    – Submitted by Gabriella S (10 months ago)
    1. Dr. Stan Weathers: You don't feel normal?
    2. Charlie Bartlett: My Family has a psychiatrist on call, how normal can I be?
    – Submitted by Gabriella S (10 months ago)
    1. Charlie Bartlett: Viagra! Virgin! Vino! Vagabond! Vagina!
    – Submitted by Gabriella S (10 months ago)
    1. Principal Gardner: Never attack a drunk guy with a gun.
    – Submitted by Gabriella S (10 months ago)
    1. Principal Gardner: There are more important things than popularity. Like what you do with that popularity.
    – Submitted by Chase P (23 months ago)

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