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Charlie Bartlett | 2008 | R | - 6.4.7

After repeated expulsions from exclusive private schools, a teenage boy (Anton Yelchin) is relegated to a public high school, where it seems that it's impossible to make friends. That is, until he discovers a way to help his classmates by holding regular therapy sessions in the boys' restroom, which includes doling out prescription medications to treat depression and other ailments. Also with Kat Dennings, Tyler Hilton, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis, Jake Epstein, Jonathan Malen, Derek McGrath, Megan Park. Directed by John Poll. [1:37]

SEX/NUDITY 6 - Two teenage girls wearing no tops (their bare breasts are shown) run out of a dance holding hands and followed by a teenage boy wearing one of the girl's bras.
 A teenage boy and a teenage girl sit in the back seat of a car, they hold each other and talk, they kiss, and the girl climbs on the boy's lap and takes her shirt off (we see her in a black bra); we then see them covered to the shoulders by a blanket, lying down and kissing and it is implied that they are having sex.
 A teenage boy and girl kiss in several scenes. A teenage girl kisses a teenage boy on the cheek. Teenage boys and teenage girls kiss in a party scene.
 A teenage boy wearing boxer shorts (his bare chest and legs are visible) announces to a large number of people that he is no longer a virgin. A teenage boy in his jockey shorts (bare chest, abdomen and legs are visible) runs outside and into a street and yells at the top of his lungs. A woman's tennis skirt flips up and reveals a glimpse of bare thigh and panties. A poster shows a drawing of male bare buttocks. A woman wears low-cut tops and dresses that reveal cleavage. A teenage girl wears low-cut tops that reveal cleavage.
 A teenage boy tells his girlfriend that she should have a private part of her anatomy pierced. We hear that a man's wife left him for another man. A teenage girl talks about having had sex with many members of the football team. A teenage boy talks about "downloading porn from the internet." A teenage boy talks about wondering if he is gay. A teenage girl talks about wanting to have breast implants.
 A teenage boy makes a sexual gesture with his fingers and tongue, looking into a security camera and knowing that the school principal is watching.
 In a theater tryout a teenage boy performs a female part that refers to the girl having her menstrual cycle and referring to her father as not understanding what was going on.
 Teenage boys and girls dance at a party.

VIOLENCE/GORE 4 - A teenage boy takes a handful of prescription pills after writing a suicide note (we hear that he overdosed, had his stomach pumped and that he will be OK).
 A teenage boy punches another teenage boy in the face, and when he falls to the floor he punches him again (the fight is videotaped). A teenage boy grabs another teenage boy and forces his head into a toilet (he is interrupted by an adult). We see a videotape of a teenage boy beating up several other teenagers (we see several bloody faces), and one boy is shoved into his locker.
 A man yells at his teenage daughter and her boyfriend, the man grabs the girl's arm to pull her toward him and the boy punches the man in the face (we see a bit of blood on his lip).
 A teenage boy lunges at a man with a gun, the man accidentally knocks him into a pool and the boy strikes his head on the diving board on the way in (the man dives in and pulls the boy out and he is OK).
 A drunken man swings a pistol around and fires at a toy boat in a swimming pool and then into the air scaring a teenage boy who's seated near him.
 A teenage boy grabs another teenage boy, forces him into a car and holds him while another boy talks to him.
 High school students vandalize a student lounge by breaking windows and breaking security cameras.
 A teenage boy talks about his father beating his mother. A teenage girl talks about her father threatening to kill himself after his wife left him for another man. A teenage boy tells a teenage girl that his father was struck by an ice cream truck and killed (he's joking). A man tells a teenage boy that's dating his daughter that he will, "take a dump on your life." A teenage boy talks to another teenage boy about being depressed and asks if he can get him medication. A reference is made to a teenage boy's fish not having been fed (we assume the fish died). We hear that a man got drunk and waved a gun around after his wife left him for another man. We hear that a man is in prison for tax evasion.
 A teenage boy is arrested for assault. We hear that security cameras will be installed in a student lounge and that the school principal will monitor the students' behavior. A woman goes to a prison to visit her husband in several scenes.

LANGUAGE 7 - 21 F-words, 1 obscene hand gesture, a boy's written name is Phuc, 15 scatological terms, 6 anatomical terms, 15 mild obscenities, 2 derogatory terms for homosexuals, name-calling (idiot, loser, crazy, stupid), 2 religious profanities, 4 religious exclamations.

SUBSTANCE USE - Two teenagers smoke marijuana outside a high school and a teenager sells marijuana in a school restroom. A woman takes a prescription drug for depression, a teenage boy takes Ritalin and becomes hyperactive, two teenage boys sell Ritalin at a high school dance and we see many people running around, dancing and yelling, two teenage boys sell prescription medications in a boy's restroom in a school and a teenage boy talks to a psychiatrist about having fantasies and the doctor prescribes medications Ritalin and Xanax. A man drinks alcohol in many scenes and it is implied that he is an alcoholic and a woman drinks a glass of wine in many scenes. A teenage boy smokes cigarettes in several scenes, a teenage girl smokes a cigarette after sex and her boyfriend tells her that smoking is bad for her, and a teenage girl smokes cigarettes in a couple of scenes. A man hands his teenage daughter a rock candy pop and calls it a "crack rock."

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Expulsion, fraud, tax evasion, intelligence, being well-liked, high school, menopause, divorce, hating one's life, suicide, panic attacks, alcoholism, dealing with problems, teenagers, spouse abuse, psychological disorders, gratitude, respect, depression, ADD, Psychiatry.

MESSAGE - Popularity is not the most important thing in high school; the trick is what you do with it.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


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