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CHARLIE BARTLETT 3 Stars – Insightful When a child is given responsibility to take care of a parent, their roles
become
reversed
with
the
parent
becoming
child-like
and
the
child
becoming
“parentified.”
The
advantage
of
such
a
shift
in
roles
is
that
the
child
acquires
abilities
and
insights
far
beyond
that
which
their
chronological
age
would
imply. The disadvantage is that the child misses out
on
the
care-free
days
of
childhood
under
parental
guidance
and
protection. That experience is insightfully presented in
Jon
Poll’s
“Charlie
Bartlett.” Written and produced by Gustin Nash,
the
film’s
title
role
of
Charlie
is
played
by
the
charming
Anton
Yelchin.
Charlie lives on a wealthy estate with his mother
Marilyn
(Hope
Davis).
His
father
is
not
with
them
but
has
given
Charlie
the
responsibility
from
the
time
he
was
young
to
“take
care
of
his
mother.”
He
took
this
assignment
to
heart
and
Marilyn
continues
to
need
his
care. Charlie has been expelled from nearly every private high school
in
the
United
States,
but
Marilyn
provides
no
parental
guidance
or
discipline
and
simply
informs
him
that
he
will
have
to
attend
public
high
school. Charlie has never attended a school where the
students
don’t
wear
the
coats
and
ties
of
the
privileged
class. But his creative skills and entrepreneurial
abilities
quickly
make
him
the
center
of
his
new
student
body. They also make him the target of the authorities,
especially
that
of
Principal
Gardner
(Robert
Downey,
Jr.). Unlike most films about high school
in
which
the
principal
and
teachers
are
one-dimensional
characters,
Principal
Gardner
is
revealed
to
be
a
person
placed
in
a
role
not
of
his
choosing. Having been a creative high school history
teacher,
he
is
now
the
Principal.
Uncomfortable
with
both
the
administrative
responsibility
and
his
disciplinary
role
with
students,
he
has
rebelled
in
his
own
way. However, the tension in the film is
not
only
due
to
this
inevitable
clash
between
Charlie
and
Principal
Gardner,
but
also
to
the
attraction
that
Charlie
has
for
the
principal’s
daughter
Susan
(Kat
Dennings).
At
first
unaware
that
Susan
is
the
principal’s
daughter,
Charlie
and
Susan
form
a
bond
that
is
itself
a
threat
to
her
father
as
he
is
raising
her
as
a
single
parent. We won’t reveal how these dual tensions
converge
or
how
Charlie
uses
his
abilities
to
gain
popularity
and
notoriety,
but
the
solutions
bring
about
a
change
in
Charlie’s
life
such
that
he
is
able
to
let
go
of
his
parental
role
and
accept
his
parents’
love
and
care.
That
healing
outcome
is
one
that
all
“parentified-children”
need.
Discussion.
________________ Cinema In Focus is a social and spiritual movie commentary.
Hal
Conklin
is
former
mayor
of
Santa
Barbara
and
Denny
Wayman
is
pastor
of
the
Free
Methodist
Church.
For
more
reviews:
http://www.cinemainfocus.com.
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