Plot Summary

Among the classic high school rebels of American cinema—truants, delinquents, pranksters, and con artists—there has never been anyone quite like Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin). An optimistic truth-teller with the fearless instincts of a born hustler, Charlie cleverly installs himself as the school’s new “psychiatrist.” As he begins dispensing both heartfelt advice and powerful prescription drugs, he has no idea how deeply he is about to transform his classmates, his principal, and the unrealized potential of his own life.

This provocative premise forms the backbone of Charlie Bartlett, a comedy firmly rooted in the Prozac era. Expelled from every private school he has ever attended, Charlie is jolted into reality when he enrolls in a public high school. Initially overwhelmed, he soon discovers that the students around him are desperate for someone to listen, and his entrepreneurial instincts quickly take over.

By hanging a homemade doctor’s sign in the boys’ restroom, Charlie becomes an underground, unlicensed, and decidedly underage psychiatrist—listening to intimate confessions, recycling medications prescribed to him, and blurring every ethical boundary imaginable. What begins as a reckless scheme slowly evolves into a strange form of social therapy.

Charlie’s biggest mistake comes when he falls in love with the beautiful and fearless daughter of the ever-suspicious school principal (Robert Downey Jr.). As his secret operation unravels and his carefully constructed world collapses, Charlie is forced to confront a crucial truth: making a real difference in people’s lives requires far more than simply handing out pills.