Charlie Bartlett (2007) Movie Review

Charlie Bartlett: John Hughes’ 21st Century Golden Boy?

Without a doubt Gustin Nash, the screenplay writer of Charlie Bartlett intended to make a film that mirrored the John Hughes films of the 1980’s. There are identifiable qualities in Charlie Bartlett that make it a teen movie. Primarily the setting is in a high school, social groups are prominent (which arguably is or is not a relevant characteristic of teen movies), the school dance is regarded with the utmost importance, and there is a clear villain (albeit the villain changes throughout the film). Charlie Bartlett epitomizes the golden era of John Hughes-esque teen narrative, almost nostalgically because of the scene towards the end of the film that offers a dramatic sense of closure when Charlie, who was once known as the outcast engages in thoughtful monologue to his fellow peers that encapsulates the film's emphasis on individuality and authenticity to self.
The sequence featuring Charlie’s monologue is introduced after he punches the school principal, so, he naturally feels pensive after such a grave mistake.  Charlie’s pensive mood manifests in the mise-en-scene, creating a sharp contrast to the previous scenes in the film because they were all filmed in the daytime, whereas the monologue sequence is set at night, establishing a certain sense of solemnity. The set of the sequence is in front of the run-down student center which the students have left utterly destroyed. Choosing to have the set of the most important and profound words Charlie will speak in the film in front of a run-down student center in the middle of the night does not seem ideal. However, the setting works to compliment the monologue because the location is so dingy that no one is distracted by it, rather they are enchanted by Charlie Bartlett’s voice.
Considering the film was released in 2007, the ambiguous and drab style of dress in the monologue sequence seems slightly peculiar. Although the style of the clothing in the sequence is slightly outdated, it serves two purposes: to create a wistful parallel to teen films like The Breakfast Club (1985) , Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), and Pretty In Pink (1986) without going overboard and appearing blatantly out of place, and to deflect attention from the crowd; as Charlie is the main focus of the entire sequence.

Standing on a picnic table, Charlie is dressed in a manner that demands authority; his outfit is only seen from his waist up as he dons a regular shirt and a navy blue blazer, much different from the rest of his classmate. In eyes to the rest of the crowd, Charlie’s blazer radiates a sense of credibility that no one else in the film seems worthy of; the costume of a shirt and blazer becomes synonymous with respect, most notably in this monologue sequence.

The only props in the sequence are the signs that are being held by the students in the crowd as they raise them up and down fervently. One sign has the image of a camera with a red ‘X’ marked on top of it and another sign is marked with the phrase “School Is Not A Prison”. These props represent the unrest of the students before Charlie begins his speech that sends waves of serenity through the unsettled crowd.

The monologue sequence is introduced by non diegetic background music driven by a downtempo drum beat and gloomy guitar strum; the melody gives way to a soft offscreen chant of “Charlie! Charlie! Charlie! Charlie!” which increases in sound as the huge crowd of students is introduced to the frame. During Charlie’s monologue no music is playing and no ambient sound is heard, not even the standard sound of crickets; the scene becomes silent and the only noise comes from Charlie’s mouth.

Dramatic lighting and sound, and an unsettled mob of students dressed in insipid clothing sets the stage for Charlie to act as prodigal student and essentially save the day with the following words:
“My name is Charlie Bartlett. If there's one thing I want you guys to walk away with tonight... it's that you guys don't need me. I really mean it. You think I'm any less screwed up than you are? I get up every morning, and I look in the mirror, and I try and figure out just where I fit in. And I draw a complete blank. You guys are looking to me to tell you what to do? You need to stop listening to me. Stop listening to people telling you who you should be! And stop listening to the people who are telling you you're not good enough to do the things that you want to do. You guys have all the answers.”

What Charlie’s speech represents is the grand and long awaited “a-ha!” moment of the film, the point where the plot materializes into a profound meaning for the characters, and the words that finally cause a distinct shift in attitudes and demeanors of all the characters from that point forward. Most of the characters in Charlie Bartlett were afraid of their own individuality and lacked the ability to be authentic to themselves, except Charlie; his speech highlights that issue which is why the whole sequence encapsulates the meaning of the film.

Charlie’s insightful speech to his classmates is in the film because a dramatic sense of closure is paramount in teen films, the moral of the story must be obvious to the characters in the film and the viewers. Furthermore, a film like Charlie Bartlett that is trying to establish itself in the teen movie genre has little agency concerning the type of narrative that is used if it wants to rigidly follow the understood requirements for the genre; the film had to use a main character driven classical narrative.

The monologue sequence where Charlie, who was once the outcast is the center of attention is so crucial to the film because it channels the John Hughes notion of using a so called outcast as the main character. Initially, Charlie’s peers ridiculed and rejected him because of his pretentious wardrobe, until his congeniality won them over. Charlie demonstrates a likeability that parallels Ferris in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) when Ferris reveals that he is not a completely terrible character when he takes the blame for crashing the Ferrari.

The aforementioned character centered narrative is a necessity in teen films, specifically films written by the pioneer of relatively modern teen films, John Hughes in the 1980’s. At the end of the orwellian-esque film written by John Hughes in 1986, Pretty In Pink;  Molly Ringwald’s character, Andie realizes that class distinctions are irrelevant to relationships when her wealthy crush, Blane approaches her at the prom, with the approval of her fellow lower income friend, Duckie. The moment between Andie and Blane during an opportune moment like the prom is an example of an outsider being embraced and it also presents the much sought after resolution for the characters and viewers alike.

Charlie Bartlett is the quintessential teen film because it follows all of the recognizable codes and conventions set by John Hughes in the 1980’s, and the monologue sequence captures not only the concept of the film in its entirety, but the type of main characters that John Hughes wrote in his teen films. The message of individuality and self authenticity in Charlie’s speech furthers the legacy left by John Hughes that high school outsiders aren’t quite the outsiders that their fellow characters and audience perceive them to be.