"So when you're near me, darlin' can't you hear me, SOS..."
Oh, *ahem*...excuse me...I'm still on my Mamma Mia! kick, which has been renewed upon the arrival of the Soundtrack that I ordered from Amazon this week. I'm playing it for the second time straight and have been singing along for the past two hours.
Anyhoo, so once again, I have way more things to share than I have time to write. I haven't downloaded my pictures yet, so I'm going to stick to a movie review which doesn't involve pictures.
As I mentioned a couple posts ago, I love Netflix. Even when they make boo-boos, they make things right. If you've been living under a rock, a couple weeks ago there was some kind of major glitch in the Netflix distribution system which resulted in a LOT of people not receiving their movies for days. I was one of those people. The first movie I received following this glitch which left me movie-less for about five days was Charlie Bartlett. I know what you're thinking..."I've never heard of it." I said the same thing. I read about it in a magazine, either Time or Entertainment Weekly. I read so much crap that I can't remember where I read things anymore. And sometimes I just make stuff up. But Charlie Bartlett is real, very real.
Whatever I read or made up made the movie sound like it was pretty good. Besides, Robert Downey, Jr. (RDJ) is in it, so how bad can it be? When I looked it up on Netflix, it was listed as a comedy, a plus in my book. So I took a chance. I didn't regret my decision.
I watched in on Wednesday night and kept it so I can watch it once more before I return it. That's how much I enjoyed it. RDJ is not the main character in the movie, that would be Anton Yelchin who plays Charlie Bartlett, a teenager. RDJ plays a school principal. I have to say that I was extremely impressed with Yelchin's performance in this movie. I can see great things coming from that young man and I think he's someone to keep an eye on.
So Charlie is a bit of a misfit. He's been expelled from a number of private schools and his main goal in life is to be popular. And he obviously comes from wealth. After getting expelled for the umpteeth time, he and his mother discuss their options and it seems that public school is it. So he goes in looking like the spoiled rich brat that he is and everyone hates him and the school bully immediately selects him as his favorite punching bag. But Charlie finds his niche.
Charlie gets prescribed ritalin and quickly figures out that it makes you high. So what do teenagers like to do? That's right, get high. Charlie ends up selling his ritalin to fellow students, but he also ends up being the school psychiatrist. He actually listens to the students, in addition to "prescribing" them drugs. This of course makes him popular.
However, his new career gets him into a bit of hot water with Principal Gardner, whose daughter also happens to be a student at the school. I don't need to tell you that means that she and Charlie have a thing for each other, further adding fuel to the fire for Principal Gardner. Charlie's popularity comes at a price.
While this movie was very funny, it was also quite touching because of the relationships Charlie ends up forming. He is the only person who listens to everyone, and he offers his advice and tries to help people solve their problems. Charlie also has some of his own personal psychological things to sort out, so there's a lot of irony in this movie as well.
I'll leave my review at that because I think the movie needs to be watched to truly be appreciated. While there are a few heavy moments, for the most part it is very funny and a well-made movie overall. If you're looking for something to put in your Netflix queue, give Charlie Barlett a chance.
Oh, *ahem*...excuse me...I'm still on my Mamma Mia! kick, which has been renewed upon the arrival of the Soundtrack that I ordered from Amazon this week. I'm playing it for the second time straight and have been singing along for the past two hours.
Anyhoo, so once again, I have way more things to share than I have time to write. I haven't downloaded my pictures yet, so I'm going to stick to a movie review which doesn't involve pictures.
As I mentioned a couple posts ago, I love Netflix. Even when they make boo-boos, they make things right. If you've been living under a rock, a couple weeks ago there was some kind of major glitch in the Netflix distribution system which resulted in a LOT of people not receiving their movies for days. I was one of those people. The first movie I received following this glitch which left me movie-less for about five days was Charlie Bartlett. I know what you're thinking..."I've never heard of it." I said the same thing. I read about it in a magazine, either Time or Entertainment Weekly. I read so much crap that I can't remember where I read things anymore. And sometimes I just make stuff up. But Charlie Bartlett is real, very real.
Whatever I read or made up made the movie sound like it was pretty good. Besides, Robert Downey, Jr. (RDJ) is in it, so how bad can it be? When I looked it up on Netflix, it was listed as a comedy, a plus in my book. So I took a chance. I didn't regret my decision.
I watched in on Wednesday night and kept it so I can watch it once more before I return it. That's how much I enjoyed it. RDJ is not the main character in the movie, that would be Anton Yelchin who plays Charlie Bartlett, a teenager. RDJ plays a school principal. I have to say that I was extremely impressed with Yelchin's performance in this movie. I can see great things coming from that young man and I think he's someone to keep an eye on.
So Charlie is a bit of a misfit. He's been expelled from a number of private schools and his main goal in life is to be popular. And he obviously comes from wealth. After getting expelled for the umpteeth time, he and his mother discuss their options and it seems that public school is it. So he goes in looking like the spoiled rich brat that he is and everyone hates him and the school bully immediately selects him as his favorite punching bag. But Charlie finds his niche.
Charlie gets prescribed ritalin and quickly figures out that it makes you high. So what do teenagers like to do? That's right, get high. Charlie ends up selling his ritalin to fellow students, but he also ends up being the school psychiatrist. He actually listens to the students, in addition to "prescribing" them drugs. This of course makes him popular.
However, his new career gets him into a bit of hot water with Principal Gardner, whose daughter also happens to be a student at the school. I don't need to tell you that means that she and Charlie have a thing for each other, further adding fuel to the fire for Principal Gardner. Charlie's popularity comes at a price.
While this movie was very funny, it was also quite touching because of the relationships Charlie ends up forming. He is the only person who listens to everyone, and he offers his advice and tries to help people solve their problems. Charlie also has some of his own personal psychological things to sort out, so there's a lot of irony in this movie as well.
I'll leave my review at that because I think the movie needs to be watched to truly be appreciated. While there are a few heavy moments, for the most part it is very funny and a well-made movie overall. If you're looking for something to put in your Netflix queue, give Charlie Barlett a chance.
2 comments:
Mamma Mia soundtrack ROCKS! hehe.. I listened to mine 2x in a row too.... so no worries.... very understandable... especially in your uhhhh slightly drunken stupor?? hee hee....
whoops.... hehe.... maybe I'm in a slightly drunken stupor too bahahhaa....regarding the movie, I think thanks to you, I will have to go rent it... I had never heard of it!
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