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teenage shrink

Opening on February 22, Charlie Bartlett is a perky little movie suitable for adolescents as well as adults. Sometimes zany and sometimes syrupy, this movie will entertain and annoy both parents and their teens at some point. It does a pretty good job of championing the recklessness of youth while warning the audience that boundaries are necessary and helpful.
Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin) is an immensely wealthy young man and an imaginative high school student. Having been kicked out of every private academy his parents’ money could afford him, they have no other choice but to send Charlie to public school.
Initially, he is far too preppie for public school, and his first few days are pretty uncomfortable. Though Charlie clearly acknowledges that his family and life are abnormal, he doesn’t make the adjustments until he meets with his prescription-happy psychiatrist.
Charlie entices a punk named Murphy to help him sell the Ritalin he was prescribed, and suddenly, Charlie is the guy to know. Realizing a demand, he expands his own psychiatric care to multiple doctors so he can collect a variety of medications for other students. He begins conducting therapy sessions in the bathroom stalls, prescribing medication to kids from every clique in school.
Charlie’s popularity skyrockets and he begins a relationship with Susan (Kat Dennings, The 40-Year Old Virgin), much to the chagrin of her father, who happens to be the unhappy and unbalanced principal of their school.
Principal Gardner, played by Robert Downey Jr., drives the subplot of this movie. With the struggles he faces as a principal and father, it occurs to viewers that no actor is better suited than Downey to play the role. In fact, after a student attempts suicide with some pills he got from Charlie, Robert Downey Jr. overtakes the Principal’s character and pays Charlie a visit to give him a stern lecture.
Charlie’s Mom, played by Hope Davis (The Secret Lives of Dentists, About Schmidt), is a delightful and entertaining flake who, as the story progresses, unfortunately becomes less and less lovable. She’s constantly floating on a pillow of prescriptions and wine, and though we don’t worry about Charlie much at the beginning (they’re really rich, you know), her lack of parenting becomes more troublesome as events unfold.
Just as Charlie’s Mom uses chemicals to avoid her problems, Charlie uses his imagination to do the same, but all the other students become dependent on him for every decision. They look to him for answers, even after the medications dry up. Meanwhile, the Principal and Superintendent think Charlie is responsible for every ounce of trouble in school, even when he’s not involved. It seems like a dubious stretch to keep the plot moving, but it works to usher in the climax and point to the underlying message.
This is a movie about characters and how they affect each other. It’s not drugs that help people best, people help people best. In a way, it’s also about mental health. There are too many people on too many pharmaceuticals, and they don’t solve problems all by themselves. Parents get all goofed up on antidepressants or booze (or both) and can’t manage their families properly. It’s ironic that parents are so surprised when their own kids turn to chemicals.
There’s one more thing I have to mention. I don’t know about you, but my high school was nothing like any high school I’ve ever seen in the movies, including this one. Once again, they’ve set a story into a ridiculously unrealistic school, complete with a kick-ass student hangout and students who are available to party anywhere at anytime. Graffiti litters the walls and girls dress like hookers. Are they even trying to seem real, or are they remarking on the absence of adequate authority figures?