The Education of Charlie Banks

Is this really about Banks?
I saw this movie pretty much because of "The Social Network". I thought it would be interesting to see Eisenberg in a pre-Social Network college film. I watched the audio commentary of Social Network and Fincher said he had seen Charlie Banks prior to making Social Network.

I don't know much about Durst but found it funny that he was the director of this. He definitely has ambition and you can tell he put a lot of work into this. The acting is pretty good. I was happy to see John Ritter's son turning in good work. The movie starts out about Charlie but becomes more about the Ritter character. Kind of uneven, and there's not enough story. What's there is fine, but it just seems undeveloped, kind of like its young characters.

So it's an affectionate thumbs down. With a better script, Durst might really surprise us one day.

P.S. (spoiler) There is the threat of violence in a scene that made me cringe. It was really well done. Scorsese would nod his head...

A Character Study Centered Around The Wrong Character
While some may be skeptical of Fred Durst's directorial debut, he shows some promise. Competent, yet distant, most of my reservations about recommending "Charlie Banks" have to do with the film's plotting and characterizations. The primary story revolves around two roommates at an Ivy League college and what happens when an old "friend" with a checkered and violent past shows up for an indefinite stay. A good set-up that lacks a bit of pay-off.

A well made film, "The Education of Charlie Banks" is a movie I wanted to admire. However, something kept me at arm's length--I never really connected emotionally in a way that would have made my viewing experience more compelling. I think, perhaps, I never fully embraced Charlie Banks (Jesse Eisenberg) as the narrator or centerpiece of the film. His "education" or development just wasn't that intriguing and my lack of concern for him created somewhat of a void in the center of the film. Eisenberg was terrific in "The Squid and the...

A Character Study Centered Around The Wrong Character
While some may be skeptical of Fred Durst's directorial debut, he shows some promise. Competent, yet distant, most of my reservations about recommending "Charlie Banks" have to do with the film's plotting and characterizations. The primary story revolves around two roommates at an Ivy League college and what happens when an old "friend" with a checkered and violent past shows up for an indefinite stay. A good set-up that lacks a bit of pay-off.

A well made film, "The Education of Charlie Banks" is a movie I wanted to admire. However, something kept me at arm's length--I never really connected emotionally in a way that would have made my viewing experience more compelling. I think, perhaps, I never fully embraced Charlie Banks (Jesse Eisenberg) as the narrator or centerpiece of the film. His "education" or development just wasn't that intriguing and my lack of concern for him created somewhat of a void in the center of the film. Eisenberg was terrific in "The Squid and the...

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