The Education of Charlie Banks

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The Education of Charlie Banks

R

Released Mar 27, 2009

1h 40m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

48%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Charlie Banks (Jesse Eisenberg) and his best friend, Danny (Chris Marquette), attend college at an elite school in upstate New York. Charlie's world comes crashing down with the unexpected arrival of Mick (Jason Ritter), a bully from high school. As Mick worms his way into Charlie's life and the lives of his friends, Charlie begins to fear the worst: that Mick may be planning revenge for an incident from their shared past.

Critics Consensus

Unevenness and earnestness mire this otherwise sweet, surprising coming of age drama.

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Nicolas Rapold

Film Comment Magazine

Though painted with broad strokes and marred by dialogue howlers during key moments, Education tracks Charlie's emerging sense of identity and perspective.

Oct 20, 2014

Full Review

Liam Lacey

Globe and Mail

One of those voice-over memory stories about a college student coming to terms with the bully who haunted his childhood.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 17, 2009

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Greg Quill

Toronto Star

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.

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 17, 2009

Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Societal commentary, some magnetic performances, life lessons learned - or not, coming of age, trust, friendship. THE EDUCATION OF CHARLIE BANKS is an education for us all.

Nov 6, 2019

Full Review

Sarah Sluis

Film Journal International

The story of a street kid hiding out in a preppy college never leaves familiar ground.

Aug 15, 2011

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Brian Orndorf

DVDTalk.com

Would've made a swell student film for Durst, a safe haven for the rocker to work out his film school inclinations. As a feature-length requiem for the disturbed soul, this picture is woefully ineffective.

Rated: C-

Jun 15, 2009

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Audience Member

Loved it. Such a great film. Thought provoking.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A decent college movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is a great coming of age film with a teenie little twist. Who would have known Fred Durst was the director. Still a must see.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie surprised me by how great the acting and directing was. The story was interesting from the get-go and it kept me interested throughout the entire movie. Jesse Eisenberg was great as Charlie Banks and the movie did keep you on the edge of your seat during some really stressful times as the story unfolded. This is a slow paced movie that some will find boring but i really liked it. A great movie.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Interesting look at class systems and college life in the early 80's. Fred Durst delivers a strong directorial debut. Jesse Eisenberg isn't the best actor, but I love him just because I know if I watch a movie he's in, that it will be decent. He chooses his rolls better than any living actor I can think of. The real star of this was Jason Ritter though, who reminded me of a young John Travolta. Overall, probably not a film I'll ever watch again, but I still enjoyed very much.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Captures the spirit of social interaction at uni really well, the dynamic between Jesse Eissenberg and Jason Ritter is really tense as well, decent film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

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Fred Durst

Director

Jesse Eisenberg

Charlie

Jason Ritter

Mick

Chris Marquette

Danny

Eva Amurri Martino

Mary

Sebastian Stan

Leo

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Synopsis

Charlie Banks (Jesse Eisenberg) and his best friend, Danny (Chris Marquette), attend college at an elite school in upstate New York. Charlie's world comes crashing down with the unexpected arrival of Mick (Jason Ritter), a bully from high school. As Mick worms his way into Charlie's life and the lives of his friends, Charlie begins to fear the worst: that Mick may be planning revenge for an incident from their shared past.

Director: Fred Durst
Producer: Marisa Polvino
Screenwriter: Peter Elkoff
Distributor: Anchor Bay
Production Co: Strongheart Pictures
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Pervasive Language|Drug and Alcohol Use|Some Violence)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 27, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 11, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.5K
Runtime: 1h 40m