Charlie Bartlett was one of the first in a wave of movies I've been looking forward to this year, mostly based on the strength of their trailers.
But, like my company, I was somewhat let down. The strong points of the movie are Charlie's mother, Charlie's principal, and of course, Charlie. Anton Yelchin did a very good job making Charlie into a very strong persona, one that rivals the recent creation of Ellen Paige in Juno. Unfortunately, Yelchin decidedly falls short, seemingly due to what is a bad job of casting throughout the movie, with no chemistry between the vast majority of them. Charlie and his mother are the only two who have true palpable chemistry, with each of the moments they are together very enjoyable.
Then comes the rest of the cast.... One thing about this movie is there are just too many pointless characters who add nothing to the story. There are countless characters who were played by Degrassi actors and actresses, which alone is a bad mistake in casting. Then comes Charlie's girlfriend, Kat Dennings, who takes away from the movie much more than she adds. She plays through most of the movie straight-faced, using some of the most generic dialogue possible to imagine. The character is given some sort of tough style, but it's never reflected in any other part of any alleged personality of the character.
Besides the casting issues, the weakest part of this movie is the script. While Charlie's mother and Charlie himself have distinguishable dialogue from everyone else, everything almost everyone else says could be said by anyone, anywhere, without a shred of a personality reflected in them.
Other than the noticeable issues I came across, I still managed to enjoy the film. It had its issues, but the competent directing managed to pull it together into something that I think most can enjoy, at least to an extent.
But, like my company, I was somewhat let down. The strong points of the movie are Charlie's mother, Charlie's principal, and of course, Charlie. Anton Yelchin did a very good job making Charlie into a very strong persona, one that rivals the recent creation of Ellen Paige in Juno. Unfortunately, Yelchin decidedly falls short, seemingly due to what is a bad job of casting throughout the movie, with no chemistry between the vast majority of them. Charlie and his mother are the only two who have true palpable chemistry, with each of the moments they are together very enjoyable.
Then comes the rest of the cast.... One thing about this movie is there are just too many pointless characters who add nothing to the story. There are countless characters who were played by Degrassi actors and actresses, which alone is a bad mistake in casting. Then comes Charlie's girlfriend, Kat Dennings, who takes away from the movie much more than she adds. She plays through most of the movie straight-faced, using some of the most generic dialogue possible to imagine. The character is given some sort of tough style, but it's never reflected in any other part of any alleged personality of the character.
Besides the casting issues, the weakest part of this movie is the script. While Charlie's mother and Charlie himself have distinguishable dialogue from everyone else, everything almost everyone else says could be said by anyone, anywhere, without a shred of a personality reflected in them.
Other than the noticeable issues I came across, I still managed to enjoy the film. It had its issues, but the competent directing managed to pull it together into something that I think most can enjoy, at least to an extent.