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A Perfectly Ripe Bartlett Pair
by Richard Horgan |
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6/26/2007 at 11:25:41 PM |
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“We all talked about how I would have been Charlie Bartlett twenty years ago.” That’s from Robert Downey Jr., who plays the high school principal to Anton Yelchin’s crafty titular rebel in the August 3rd MGM comedy-drama release.
True, although 20 years ago, Downey was actually more of a collegiate troublemaker in films like Less Than Zero and Johnny Be Good. His presence is what gives Charlie Bartlett resonance; Downey is not quite Bill Murray in Rushmore, but in terms of sheer narrative adventurousness, this new film overall is definitely on par with Wes Anderson’s 1998 classic.
Meanwhile, the cinematic look and feel of low-budget Charlie Bartlett harkens back to an even earlier time and films like Tony Bill’s My Bodyguard (1981) and Peter Yates’ Breaking Away (1979). It’s got a grittier retro sheen than say the films of John Hughes or things like Heathers (1989), The Secret Life of Jimmy Reardon (1989) and Pump Up the Volume (1990), which is what helps make it such a refreshing pleasure. Just as Live Free or Die Hard is a stuntman’s oasis in a world of CGI, Charlie Bartlett is a slow-tempo throwback in a sea of R-rated raunch.
There’s a great scene, late in the movie, wherein Downey’s character of Principal Gardner counsels Charlie about the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse, after they’ve shared “a moment.” It’s the closest the 42-year-old Downey has ever cut to his real-life addiction problems, and it’s at once both hilarious and poignant.
A lot of the credit for this and other memorable moments in Charlie Bartlett must go to screenwriter and USC Film School grad Gustin Nash (pictured, right, at yesterday’s LAFF screening). After graduating, the Chapel Hill, North Carolina native took a job at Ritz Camera in the Burbank Town Center mall and wrote ten scripts, with the idea that if he was any good at it, he would send out the last one. That tenth script turned out to be Charlie Bartlett, inspired in part by Nash’ desire to create an authentic reflection of the teens he observed at the mall. (In 2005, Nash was voted one of Ten Screenwriters to Watch by Daily Variety).
Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Meet the Parents / Fockers) was initially slated to direct Charlie Bartlett, but the fact that he didn’t is perhaps the final key ingredient to Yelchin and Downey’s unvarnished world. Roach’s longtime editor, Jon Poll, stepped in, coming back to the directorial chair more than 25 years after his 1981 short film debut The Tree. As such, he has fashioned a feature-length debut that feels like it could have fit right into the year 1982.
Update: Not long after this item was written, the release date for Charlie Bartlett was changed to February 1st, 2008.
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