The Education of Charlie Banks (2007)

This film is an okay coming of age story. Jason Ritter and Jesse Eisenberg play childhood friends who meet up later on at Charlie's Ivy League college three years later after an incident. The story begins in their neighborhood in Greenwich Village section of New York City. Charlie's father owns and runs a bookstore but we don't know much about Jason Ritter's Mick character. The story is about bullying and intimidation. Charlie witnesses a crime but recants and that is all I'll say about it without spoiling it for other readers. Three years later, he's in college with his friend, Danny. Mick shows up and takes over his territory in a manner of speaking with friends and the girl he likes. The film is okay but not brilliant. The writing is a bit weak at times. There doesn't seem to be much suspense when we know the secret from the beginning. Anyway, Ritter and Eisenberg do well with the weak script.

"The Education of Charlie Banks" is not as grim as suggested. It primarily takes place at college. A beautiful college with beautiful books and beautiful girls. The darkness is within the inner characteristics of most of the characters. Charlie Banks is expected to fight against injustice but it's much easier to ignore it.The film tries to take the stand that retaliating against malice or insolence with violence is wrong. I understand what they're saying but they seemed to get confused with which actions should be taken more seriously. What the film does get right is the characters and their internal and mutual contentions.We are presented to a world of privileged kids, semi-privileged kids and not privileged kids. They all attempt to be friends but there's an awful lot of differences to overcome for that to happen. Throughout the entire time, Charlie experiences paranoia, jealousy and self-assurance, three very conflicting emotions for somebody to be experiencing at once, but they are all clearly portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg. The real star however, is Jason Ritter as the charismatic, but rage-filled and troubled Mick."The Education of Charlie Banks" attaches some rather interesting thoughts to a mixture of typical college students. By keeping it real, they didn't know exactly what to do with those thoughts, I also could have used a bit more humour, but I was mostly quite impressed with my time spent with Charlie and those damn rich kids.

Limp Bizki frontman Fred Durst directs "The Education of Charlie Banks", a very good drama in which a charming but violent thug called Mick visits his egghead buddies, one of whom is played by Jesse Eisenberg, at a prestigious university.The film has a melancholic tone, Mick drifting through university halls and wandering what his life might have been like had he not been a victim of circumstance. Coming from a violent, lower class background, Mick was never given the chance to pursue academic interests or make much of his life. Suddenly surrounded by rich kids and smart students, he feels jealous and left behind.Toward the end of the film it is revealed that Mick is visiting his buddies because he's hiding from the cops and trying to jump a murder charge. When his friends learn of this, they all turn against him. The film then mentions French philosopher Jacques Derrida's writings on deconstruction, the point being that were society to "deconstruct" Mick's life, upbringing and past, they would sympathise with him and understand his actions. Jesse Eisenberg's character realises this, learns to view Mick with sympathy rather than as a bully, but by then it's too late. The cops arrive and Mick disappears again, doomed to a life on the run. An outcast, because the world looks without seeing.The film is not as good as Hal Ashby's "The Last Detail", the film it most resembles, but it is as good as "Scent of a Woman", "Bad Influence" and "Starter For Ten", all of which cover similar material. The film's direction is competent, but the plot is largely held together by several young actors who rise above the material, most notably Jason Ritter and Eva Amurri. The usually annoying Jesse Eisenberg does well here (though his geeky persona gets old fast), particularly the look of horror on his face when he witnesses a boy being attacked.The film contains several references to Scorsese (posters, dialogue, references to "Mean Streets" etc), but whatever pretensions it has toward being a gritty drama erode come the film's very rushed ending. Another flaw includes the script's contemptuous treatment of its rich white students, a tactic used to engender sympathy for Mick. Such tactics go against the very message of the film.8/10 – Though it can't touch "The Last Detail", this is nevertheless a very good independent film. Worth one viewing.

For about the first half hour or so this movie is OK and appears to be going someplace. After, it just dwindles into a lot of college dialogue. It's all a little stale and lacking in any of the tension that existed in the first part of the film. It's trying desperately to make a statement on juvenile delinquents, crime, guilt and that type of thing and never succeeds. Also why do the guys keeping hugging each other every time they meet?I kept waiting for something of significance to occur but aside from some pretty girls and a short hot-tub scene it's a fast forward movie. It's a poor version of 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'.