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The Education of Charlie Banks

Play trailer Poster for The Education of Charlie Banks R Released Mar 27, 2009 1h 40m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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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.
The Education of Charlie Banks

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Critics Consensus

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

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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Read all reviews
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Movie Info

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