Fresh
The movie as a whole is a sweet pill to swallow.
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
Charlie Bartlett
Popularity is a state of mind.
2008 · 1h 37m · R
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Directed by
Jon Poll
Overview
Awkward teenager Charlie Bartlett has trouble fitting in at a new high school. Charlie needs some friends fast, and decides that the best way to find them is to appoint himself the resident psychiatrist. He becomes one of the most popular guys in school by doling out advice and, occasionally, medication, to the student body.
Director and cast
- Jon Poll Director
- Anton Yelchin as Charlie Bartlett
- Robert Downey Jr. as Nathan Gardner
- Hope Davis as Marilyn Bartlett
- Kat Dennings as Susan Gardner
- Tyler Hilton as Murphy Bivens
- Mark Rendall as Kip Crombwell
- Dylan Taylor as Len Arbuckle
- Megan Park as Whitney Drummond
- Jake Epstein as Dustin Lauderbach
- Jonathan Malen as Jordan Sunder
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
58%
Tomatometer
Fresh
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.
Claudia Puig, USA Today
Rotten
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.
Philip Marchand, Toronto Star
Rotten
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.
David Wiegand, San Francisco Chronicle
Rotten
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.
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
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