Charlie Bartlett
Metro Goldwyn Distributing Company | Release Date: February 22, 2008 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
10
Mixed:
12
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Yelchin delivers one of those performances that pop eyes... It's a breakthrough role. Read full review
80
VarietyRonnie Scheib
Rollicking story of a rich kid whose wildly successful bid for popularity has him playing drug-distributing shrink to an entire high school boasts pitch-perfect faceoffs between upstart Anton Yelchin and alcoholic principal Robert Downey Jr. that could fuel a chemistry lab. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
I would classify Charlie Bartlett as a smart teen film. It's more ambitious and overall more successful than its '80s forebears even though the resemblance is unmistakable. Read full review
75
USA TodayClaudia Puig
A refreshingly entertaining character study that refuses to dumb down its youthful cast or bury their concerns in service of a catchy soundtrack. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
What the movie lacks in technical polish (it's not very handsome-looking) and dramatic perfection, it makes up for in unusual social sophistication. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
With its rebellious themes and pharmaceutical props - Ritalin, Prozac, Xanax all get doled out - Charlie Bartlett isn't going to win any awards from parent-teacher groups. But the underlying message of the film, with its nods to "Catcher in the Rye" and - '70s throwback here - "Harold and Maude," is a good one. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
The film functions as a high-wire act that can leave you giddy with laughter. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
It reminded me of "Pump Up the Volume" in many ways. Read full review
63
New York PostLou Lumenick
Starts to get a bit preachy as it works its way toward a climax heavily influenced by "Rushmore," but it's still well above average for this type of film. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Jon Poll's harmless, occasionally entertaining debut feature. Read full review
60
Village VoiceElla Taylor
Like most wannabe heroes of the eager-to-please teen comedy, poor little rich boy Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin) is too charming by half and not nearly quirky enough. Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen Holden
If the attention span of Charlie Bartlett didn’t wander here and there, the movie might have been a high school satire worthy of comparison with Alexander Payne’s “Election.” But as it dashes around and eventually turns soft, it loses its train of thought. Read full review
60
EmpireSam Toy
After a strong start, the story ceases to challenge itself and its characters, offering easy options and a Prozac-soft finish. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Robert Downey Jr. is an uncomfortable sight as the school's hard-drinking, overstressed principal. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianMarc Mohan
Instead of a unique directorial style and a memorable soundtrack, we get a movie that, visually and aurally, pretty much goes by the book. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Sequences like the silly montage of Charlie on Ritalin (which just looks like the precious doodles of a former editor), grievously underdeveloped characters, and heavy heapings of sap instead of snark keep Charlie Bartlett from making the dean’s list. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Decent acting forestalls the inevitable collapse for a long time. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
Watching Charlie Bartlett only makes Wes Anderson's work seem more accomplished by comparison, because it underscores that thin line separating the agreeably fanciful from the overbearingly precious. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Actually, occasionally, does feel good. Now if only it had something to say. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Spending more time with Downey's character would have benefited this movie no end. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleDavid Wiegand
A relentlessly earnest teen film. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
For the most part, it's an uneven if amiable and occasionally inspired comedy about getting through adolescence that hits some false notes along the way. Read full review
30
Washington PostDesson Thomson
The movie feels forced, cliched and derivative. Read full review
25
Chicago TribuneTasha Robinson
Are teenagers really supposed to identify with a clumsy caricature such as Charlie, who, in spite of all his expulsions and school crimes, comes across as a gawping, perpetually surprised infant in an adult body? Read full review
25
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
The dismal high school comedy Charlie Bartlett has the look, feel and sentiment of a made-for-video cheapie that might have been grudgingly whipped together by Robert Downey Jr. as some sort of court-ordered community service project for his many drug busts. Read full review
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