Hot on the heels of surprise smash indie comedy Juno, Charlie Bartlett superficially seems to share many similarities with that movie. Both feature wisecracking smart-alec leads, played by young rising stars. Both have excellent scripts and feature a confidence of narrative and plot that belies the relative inexperience of the directors – respectively, Jason Reitman and Jon Poll. Both make you feel a little better about the world, and, more importantly, both are very, very funny.
However, this is where the similarities end. Whereas Juno seemed to aspire to a kind of Generation X style subversive humour such as Ghost World (2001) or Slacker (1991) (albeit a watered down, sweetened up version) Charlie harks back to the high school comedies of the 80’s – the most obvious example being Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986).
Like Ferris, Charlie (Anton Yelchin) is a wise guy and the kind of kid who can at once be an outsider and a leader of his peers. His constant battles with Principal Gardner (Robert Downey Jr, in a piece of inspired casting – the player of so many 80’s rebels finally old enough to play the head!) provide gossip and entertainment throughout the high school network. What Charlie, also provides (which is predictably the source of no small controversy surrounding the film) are counselling sessions for his fellow pupils – situated in the gents loos – and a variety of psychoactive drugs to go with them.
This all has its serious side of course. Charlie gains access to the drugs through his own doctors who initially diagnose him with ADD, his hyper activity and obsessive impulses being testimony to this conclusion. However, once he realises that powerful chemicals can get doled out like there’s no tomorrow, he takes his shrinks for a ride and puts on a whole range of psychological disturbances. If this wasn’t room enough for comedy of the darkest hue, then take into account the fact that his well meaning mum is constantly bombed out of her mind on tranquilisers and white wine and his tax-dodging Dad’s in jail.
So, while Charlie is off-loading all of these drugs on the student body (with the help of stock bully Murphy) things are complicated further in classic 80’s style by a growing relationship with the Principal’s daughter Susan (Kat Dennings). In another fairly shocking touch of darkness, it takes the failed suicide of depressed loner Kip (Mark Rendall) to snap Charlie out of the pharmaceutical trade. He does, however continue with the therapy sessions, eventually even trying to help out his girlfriends Dad…
Charlie Bartlett is a fine comedy and one that doesn’t trivialize sensitive issues. Its central message that popularity isn’t everything in life is one that will resonate with audiences everywhere, particularly ones made up of the smart adolescent variety. I very much doubt we’ll see a better teen comedy this year.
