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Education of Charlie Banks, The

EMAILPRINTAnchor Bay Entertainment

Education of Charlie Banks, The reviews
50
7.0 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 9 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 4 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Drama

Written by: Peter Elkoff

Directed by: Fred Durst

Release Date:
Theatrical: March 27, 2009

Running Time: 100 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: R for pervasive language, some violence, sexual content, and drug and alcohol use

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Ritter, Chris Marquette, Eva Amurri, Sebastian Stan, and Gloria Votsis

Charlie Bank's sheltered world at his Ivy League campus is shaken when Mick, an old acquaintance with a violent past, unexpectedly shows up at his dorm room. Intrigued by Charlie's privileged lifestyle, the charismatic Mick quickly wins over Charlie’s friends and his crush, Mary as he seamlessly integrates himself into Charlie’s life. Unnerved yet also in awe of Mick's easy charm, Charlie's unresolved feelings of jealousy, admiration and fear – as well as an unspoken secret between the two—threatens to come to a head with ruinous consequences. Set in the early '80's against the backdrop of Greenwich Village's rough and tumble playgrounds and an elite academic institution in Upstate New York, The Education of Charlie Banks is a stirring coming-of-age story about trusting your instincts, your friends and yourself. (Strong Heart Pictures)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

70

The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen

Although the impressively acted ensemble piece occasionally gets tripped up by Peter Elkoff's overtly literate script, it travels in some unexpected, thoughtful directions.

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67

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Ritter, who's like the young Ethan Hawke on a bender of violence, is an actor to watch.

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60

Film Threat Scott Mendelson

A film that succeeds at being good without really succeeding in being worthwhile.

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60

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis

Probes class consciousness with rather more sensitivity than originality.

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50

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

What doesn't work so persuasively is Elkoff's script, particularly the overuse of voice-over.

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50

Los Angeles Times Robert Abele

Too often Durst's direction is overly earnest, heavy in long takes, atmosphere wise but scene foolish.

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50

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

There's enough sweetness, and enough just-under-the-surface intelligence, in The Education of Charlie Banks to suggest that Durst may have a future as a filmmaker.

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40

New York Daily News Joe Neumaier

Another nicely understated performance from Jesse Eisenberg anchors this shambling drama.

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40

Village Voice Vadim Rizov

Durst and Elkoff deliver a nuanced scenario of class assimilation and resentment, then flub the ending.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jay H gave it a6:
Good story, appealing performances from Jesse Eisenberg and Eva Amurri. It does lack focus sometimes but overall the film works.

Kathy S. gave it an8:
This is a thoughtful, sometimes witty, sometimes tense little movie with a slight sense of foreboding that kept me on the edge of my seat. I'd like to see a lot more from Jesse Eisenberg. I loved him in this and in "Adventureland." I hope he gets a lot of roles in different movies like this. Jason Ritter was a revelation.

Mitch S gave it a7:
This was a pretty decent little movie, but the incredible aspect of the film is Jason Ritter's performance as the absolutely brutal sociopath from the city who invades the little college town. When I saw his name in the opening credits, I never would have thought that he's play such a menacing role. That being said, the movie's true weakness was Jesse Eisenberg, who was difficult to watch for two hours with all of his eccentricities.

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