Being Charlie movie review & film summary (2016)

Neither father nor son is averse to allowing their onscreen alter egos to come off badly. Robinson, whose boyish Sean Astin-like features and physique—imagine a sardonic and bitter teenage hobbit—provide a nice contrast to such lowlife behavior as stealing Oxycontin from a terminally ill old lady whose son has kindly given him a lift.  Meanwhile, dad is a tough-love bully (mom, played by Susan Misner, is the comforting good cop) who greets his just-arrived son not with a much-needed hug but with a burly hairy stranger in an ugly Hawaiian shirt, who proceeds to commence with an intervention while spouting such well-worn clichés as, “No one said that sobriety is easy.”  What would be easy is to hate David, but Elwes is able to summon a world of hurt, pain and frustration in the eyes of his character even while sporting a politician’s plastic smile.

So off Charlie goes into yet another treatment facility. But this one has a seemingly cool girl named Eva (Morgan Saylor) to break the monotony, who smokes clove cigarettes and matches him sarcastic comment-for-sarcastic comment. When he whines about being in rehab again, she counters, “Where would you like to be? Would you be OK with Iraq, Dafur, New Jersey?” He smiles. “Maybe not New Jersey.” Eventually, they go to separate halfway houses split by gender. Turns out friendships are fine among program participants, but not romance. As a sympathetic counselor (hip-hop artist Common) explains to Charlie, “Getting sober is a selfish thing. You got to help yourself first.” Of course, his words will prove all too prophetic when a now-dutiful son still can’t catch a break from his dad and resumes his old habits—just in time for Election Day.

While it’s not exactly “Trainspotting,” “Being Charlie” strives for authenticity in its main character’s ups and downs even if the plot isn’t as compelling as the performances. At least the material doesn’t shy away from questioning the conventional wisdom behind such programs and suggests that they don’t always fit the needs of everyone while profiting from repeat offenders.

Also welcome are some original bits of inside-showbiz business that flavor the story. David, best known for a series of pirate films, is constantly pestered by adoring constituents who repeatedly parrot his “Yo ho ho” catchphrase. One has to wonder how many times former “All in the Family” star Reiner has been called "Meathead" over the years.

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