Movie review: 'Charlie Bartlett' a likably quirky teen tale

Sitting through the offbeat teen comedy "Charlie Bartlett" makes you feel as if you've just watched three episodes of a new TV series you can't wait to see more of " one that's so funny and smart and unpredictable, it would probably only survive one season on the air, if that, then gain a cult following on DVD.

Anton Yelchin, who's had leading roles in the little-seen "Fierce People" and "House of D" and supporting parts in "Alpha Dog" and "Hearts in Atlantis," should become better known after this, if there is any justice in the world. The fresh-faced, young actor absolutely shines as the title character, a wealthy kid who gets booted out of his elite academy, ends up in public school and becomes instantly popular when he starts doling out psychological advice in the boys' bathroom (as well as copious meds, courtesy of the family's shrink).

Sure, there's some familiarity in the directing debut from longtime editor Jon Poll " unmistakable shades of Ferris Bueller and Max Fischer from "Rushmore." (Poll, who collaborated with Jay Roach on the "Austin Powers" and "Meet the Parents" franchises, is working from Gustin Nash's first produced script; Nash also adapted the observant coming-of-age novel "Youth in Revolt," due out at the end of the year.)

Still, Yelchin has an unflagging sweetness and likability about him " and a wisdom beyond his years combined with his youthful exuberance " even as Charlie repeatedly gets into trouble. When we first meet him, he's being expelled from his latest prep school for making fake IDs in his dorm room. His mother, played with hilarious flakiness by the always reliable Hope Davis, doesn't get angry but merely admires that the driver's licenses look quite authentic. (Then again, her idea of a bonding activity with her son is taking him wine-tasting.)

Charlie is clearly the adult in the equation, reminding mom to take her Klonopin. Dad, meanwhile, isn't around " and the exact reason is wisely withheld from us until the very end. And so it's just the two of them bouncing around their cavernous Connecticut estate, which Yelchin and Davis portray with a charmingly zany chemistry.

The second the lanky Charlie arrives on campus at his new public high school, in a blazer and tie and carrying an attache case, we just know he's begging to get his butt kicked. This is a rite of passage in such rite-of-passage movies. But what's different here is the way he turns the situation around to his benefit. Desperate for popularity, he says hello to the nerds, cheerleaders and bullies alike. But he gets the biggest thug of all on his side (hunky Tyler Hilton, showing surprising depth) just by listening to him.

Soon he's listening to everyone's problems and " with a little research and enterprising cleverness " procuring the various prescription pills he thinks his classmates need to cope with their teen angst. He merely regurgitates their symptoms of panic, loneliness and fear while lying on his own psychiatrist's couch, and, viola! He becomes a walking pharmacy.

This set-up, by the way, feels like the pilot, if we may continue with the TV-series metaphor. If there's one quibble to be had with "Charlie Bartlett," it's that it feels too episodic, not enough like a whole, cohesive piece.

You can easily make out the structure: There's the one where the kids protest when the school district places cameras in the student lounge; the one where Charlie gets in trouble with the incompetent principal (played with mounting anger and moving vulnerability by Robert Downey Jr.); the one where our virginal hero falls for the principal's daughter, Susan (Kat Dennings), a sarcastic, strong-willed drama student.

And yes, maybe it's bit obvious that he helps everyone else with their troubles to avoid facing his own. But Charlie Bartlett " and "Charlie Bartlett" " are complex and engaging enough that you want to watch him work those out, too.

"Charlie Bartlett," an MGM release, is rated R for language, drug content and brief nudity. Running time: 97 minutes. Three stars out of four.