The Education of Charlie Banks
The Education of Charlie Banks is a 2007 American drama film directed by Fred Durst, produced by Straight Up Film's Marisa Polvino and starring Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Ritter, Eva Amurri, Gloria Votsis, and Chris Marquette. It had its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the "Made in NY Narrative Award", an award given to the best narrative films made in New York City. It is Durst's film directing debut. Peter Care was initially attached to direct. Plot. As a kid, Charlie Banks (Jesse Eisenberg) both admired and feared  the charismatic and violent local Mick Leary (Jason Ritter); in high school, Charlie witnesses Mick nearly beats up two jocks to death at a party. Despite Mick being the buddy of his best friend, Danny (Chris Marquette), Charlie reports Mick to the police. Three years later, Charlie and Danny are college freshmen. Mick, to their surprise, shows up for a visit. Though claiming to be visiting for the weekend, Mick moves into the two friends' dorm and begins borrowing their clothing, attending their classes, reading their books, and flirting with Mary (Eva Amurri), a woman on whom Charlie has a  crush. Charlie begins to wonder if Mick has changed or if he is plotting a fiendish revenge against him. Release. The film premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won Best New York Narrative. It received a limited release in North America on March 27, 2009, before being released on DVD three months later on June 30, 2009. Reception. "The Education of Charlie Banks" garnered mixed reviews from critics. It holds a approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews, with an average score of . The website's critical consensus reads: "Unevenness and earnestness mire this otherwise sweet , surprising coming of age drama." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 50 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Robert Abele of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote that: "Durst's direction is overly earnest, heavy in long takes, atmosphere wise but scene foolish." Joe Neumaier of the "New York Daily News" praised Eisenberg for giving a "nicely understated performance" as an "endearing everyman" but felt that Ritter lacked the "necessary air of danger" the script calls for in his role. Kyle Smith of the "New York Post" criticized the film's  characters for being nothing but a "writer's creation" that deliver "flat and unconvincing" dialogue in an "improbable" story, but gave credit to Ritter for having "the charisma of a young Val Kilmer" and Durst for showing "a few stylistic touches that indicate he may have better films in him." Norman Wilner of "NOW" felt that Durst delivered "an overwhelmingly safe movie", criticizing Elkoff's script for having "simple dramatic constructions" and "measured steps" in its plot, and Eisenberg for giving a "blandly conceived version" of the characters he usually portrays, concluding that: "He does the required stammering and shrugging , but it's a tossed-off turn in a movie that’s similarly on autopilot." Jeannette Catsoulis of "The New York Times" praised the film for Durst's detail-oriented direction in capturing the early '80s, and the "sincere performances (most notably from Mr. Ritter and Eva Amurri as Charlie's upper-crust crush) and clever writing" for keeping it from being "maudlin" and tell "a prickly examination of the sturdiness of class boundaries and the illusion of inclusion." Greg Quill of the "Toronto Star" pointed out that Elkoff's script carried elements of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his novel  The Great Gatsby and had predictable revelations, but gave praise to the "sensitively and intelligently" written characters and Durst for being a storyteller with "great care and assurance" and an attention to detail on time period without being showy about it, calling it "an earnest, if romanticized, examination of the American class system in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and the eternally confounding politics of acceptance and exclusion." Despite being skeptic towards Durst's attempt to have viewers sympathize with the rebel Mick, "Entertainment Weekly"s Owen Gleiberman gave note of his "theatrical chops" and concluded that: "Ritter, who's  like the young Ethan Hawke on a bender of violence, is an actor to watch." Michael Rechtshaffen of "The Hollywood Reporter" was critical of Elkoff's writing being "overtly literate" and Durst's direction for "underscoring the obvious", but commended him for being able to "establish[ing] the specifics of place and time" in the film's setting and craft an "impressively acted ensemble" with his young performers, highlighting Ritter's portrayal for having "a believably brooding intensity with a bad boy swagger" reminiscent of a young Matt Dillon.