REVIEW: Being Charlie

Courtesy of Paladin

In addition to being a great actor, Rob Reiner is a talented filmmaker responsible for some of my all-time favorite movies. It’s crazy to consider the same guy made This is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, Misery, A Few Good Men and The American President. Any one of those would get him into the director Hall of Fame. But all of them? It’s mind-boggling.

However, like anyone with eclectic tastes in genre and a career that spans more than three decades, he’s got his fair share of misfires among the gems. Some of them are outright stinkers, like North, Rumor Has It..., and The Bucket List. Others are flawed but interesting stories like Ghosts of Mississippi, The Story of Us and the little-seen Flipped, which I enjoyed even though most critics dismissed it.

His latest drama, Being Charlie (which opens in limited release this weekend), is a deeply personal story that fits into the latter category. The film tackles the struggle of addiction and the toll it takes on both the addict and those around him; unfortunately, Reiner’s understated direction and a strong central performance aren’t enough to overcome the cliché-riddled screenplay written by Reiner’s son, Nick, and Matt Elisofon.

Nick Robinson (Jurassic World) plays the title character: a smart, spoiled 18-year-old who bounces around various rehab facilities while his movie star dad (Cary Elwes) runs for governor of California. His latest stint at an upscale ranch in Utah doesn’t end well: he smashes a gorgeous stained glass window and escapes with some help from his equally troubled best friend (Devon Bostick).

For his father, this is the last straw – although it’s tough to tell whether this concern is for his son’s health or his shaky political campaign. He gives Charlie an ultimatum: either go back to rehab and take it seriously, or go to jail for the damage he did at the ranch. Charlie chooses Option A, where he meets a persuasive counselor (Common) and Eva (Morgan Saylor), a beautiful young woman who might be even more self-destructive than he is.

The two hit it off immediately, but relationships are forbidden at the facility. Of course, that only intensifies the pair’s feelings for each other; however, to the film’s credit, this isn’t a sappy “love overcomes the odds” tale. Charlie and Eva learn that sometimes there are rules for a reason, mainly to prevent toxic relationships that lead to co-dependency and mutual destruction.

The film’s production notes go into great detail about both Reiners’ connection to the tough material found in Being Charlie. Nick, who knows a thing or two about having a famous dad, spent much of his teen years in various rehab facilities. In fact, that’s how he met co-writer Elisofon. They used their shared experiences to craft the screenplay.

As such, Charlie comes across as a fully-realized character. It’s evident how much care went into crafting the lead role, and it’s powerful stuff when combined with Robinson’s strong performance. While the film doesn’t work as a whole, I respect the creative team’s decision to make Charlie deeply unsympathetic for large stretches of time; it’s a realistic touch. Addicts aren’t always lovable, misunderstood quip machines, which the movie makes clear from the opening moments. That’s when Charlie thanks a Good Samaritan by stealing his cancer-ravaged mother’s pain meds.

I also enjoyed the film’s final moments, when Charlie and his father have a long-simmering, cathartic conversation. Rob Reiner brings a father’s perspective to the scene, allowing Elwes’ character to defend his seemingly coldhearted behavior to both Charlie and the audience. Unfortunately, due to the trite depiction of the character throughout the rest of the film, it doesn’t land as strongly as it should. But the scene manages to repair a little bit of the damage at the last second.

The supporting performances from Common, Saylor and Bostick are solid as well, but the characters themselves – the tough-but-caring authority figure, the damaged dream girl, the goofy sidekick – feel like mandatory tropes rather than people that Reiner and Elisofon genuinely want to examine. The same goes for the by-the-numbers sequences in the film’s second half. The inevitable relapse, the broken heart, the tragedy doubling as a wake-up call – all of them are here, but none of them feel authentic or earned.

Maybe that’s why Being Charlie ultimately left me cold. Despite Robinson’s excellent work and the life-changing events his character experiences, there’s a nagging feeling that we haven’t seen a genuine transformation.

Being Charlie is unrated, but contains strong language, drug use, and nudity.

Grade: C