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Touches You

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

There are so many kids out there trying to make the world a better place, trying to save people and do everything in their power to just give everyone a voice. It's important that these wonderful teenagers are reminded that they are just kids, they shouldn't have to be therapists and they shouldn't have the responsibility for someone's life and I think this movie tells that story really well.Gustin Nash has written a heartfelt story and shows a knack for one liners, but Jon Poll's film technique falls a little short as the images to the words doesn't add to them enough.It's a great film and I recommend watching it when you're feeling nostalgic or you need a cheering up, but this is not a go to film for when you want to experience a slap of pure cinema.

Taking its cue from John Hughes classics such as "The Breakfast Club" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", this is a very good coming of age comedy-drama. It has a rather strong, clever and often insightful script by Gustin Nash and the material is well handled by Jon Poll in his directorial debut. The film is not entirely original but that has never bothered me if the relevant plot devices are used effectively, which is the case here. The script deals with the issues that many teens face on a daily basis well and it does not hesitate to highlight the fact that many adults are as screwed up and confused as the younger generation, more so in some cases. Even though there are things in the film that do not really ring true, the characters nevertheless seem more like real people than those in the less intelligent, raunchier teen films of the 2000s and beyond, some of which I have to say that I do like.The film stars Anton Yelchin in an excellent performance as the title character, a 17-year-old aspiring entrepreneur who has been kicked out of every private school in the US worth mentioning and a few more besides. The scheme that got him kicked out of his last school was the operation a laminating press in his dorm room for the purposes of making fake driving licences so he's nothing if not enterprising. Seeing as she has tried everything else, his mother decides to send him to the public school West Summit High School in their hometown. Charlie is a fiercely intelligent, friendly and charming boy but, like many teenagers, he craves popularity and believes that his stunts are the best way to go about achieving it. His situation is further complicated by the fact that his mother Marilyn, played wonderfully by Hope Davis, is recovering from severe depression - triggered by his father's imprisonment for tax evasion - and often seems to be in another world. As such, Charlie is forced to be the adult and take care of her, which means that he is missing out the traditional teen experience in many ways. This may account for the fact that he is a little, in his words, abnormal but, then again, most people are. Yelchin is a great actor and I loved his work in the miniseries Taken and other television series when he was younger so it's nice to finally see him in a film that I not only enjoyed but didn't hate. After becoming high on Ritalin which was prescribed to him to control his non-existent ADD, Charlie gets a bit of a brainwave. He decides to go into business with the school bully Murphy Bevins and sell prescription drugs such as Xanax and Zoloft to the student body. In order to obtain them, he tells various psychiatrists that he is suffering from a range of disorders. He also sets up a counselling service in the boys' bathroom where he dispenses advice as well as drugs. One thing that I loved about the film is that it did not hesitate to examine the consequences of Charlie's actions whereas a lesser one would have skirted around the issue or even ignored it altogether. I have no doubt that his intentions were good but he is not a trained professional. The danger of giving out prescription drugs when you do not fall into that category is well illustrated when the incredibly depressed Kip Crombwell attempts suicide by overdosing on the anti-depressants provided to him by Charlie. After this, Charlie decides to end his drug business but continues with the counselling service free of charge as he believes that it is the right thing to do.Robert Downey, Jr. is superb as the school principal Nathan Gardner, a bitter alcoholic whose life took a turn for the worse when he found out that his wife was having an affair. His professional life isn't all sunshine and lollipops either since he was much happier when he was a history teacher who was not burdened with the same level of responsibility. Downey is always at his best when he is playing damaged characters and this is no exception. Kat Dennings is good as the principal's daughter and Charlie's obligatory love interest Susan but this was probably the least interesting and most clichéd part of the film so I wish that it had not been given quite as much attention. Tyler Hilton is great as Murphy, who eventually becomes friends with Charlie as opposed to merely his business partner. The bully displays a softer side when he admits that he would like to go on an actual date with the queen bee Whitney Drummond rather than simply have sex with her. The film also features good performances from Derek McGrath as Superintendent Sedgwick and Mark Rendall as Kip. One good indication of the fact that it was shot in Toronto is the presence of not one but three stars of "Degrassi: The Next Generation", to which I am addicted: Jake Epstein (the best actor on the series whom I would have liked to have seen in a bigger role here), Lauren Collins and Aubrey Graham (better known these days as the rapper Drake).Overall, this is a very enjoyable film. Much like the admittedly considerably better "Crimes and Misdemeanors", its message is essentially that life can and often is unfair but it is worth living for the moments of happiness that it offers.

It was very well written & the cast was spot on! It was a fun movie & kinda reminded me of a modern day "Breakfast Club" in a mild way. It was full of witty teenage angst & being misunderstood. I love Charlie's character, you really cant go wrong with Anton Yelchin. The other actors Robert Downey Jr.,Kat Dennings (amazing!!) & Hope Davis were also wonderful!! Kat is her normal sarcastic & smart self, Hope is very "Norma Bates" in her personal style, Robert was pretty good but not amazing. I still fell in love with the cast, especially the "bully" & well....all the supporting members. It was the kind of movie that made me miss High School...well, if that was how High School really was! Anywho I loved it & recommend it to everyone!!!

I hate to write a bad review but, without the influence of Todd Phillips's "Road Trip", Wes Anderson's "Rushmore" and Hal Ashby's "Harold and Maude" this film would had never existed. Down to the use of songs like Eels - "Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" from "Road Trip" and "Harold & Maude's" Cat Steven's song "If You Wanna Be Free Be Free".It's pretty much been Done before.Here's a kid, who gets kicked out of an elite prep school, only to join a public school where he sports the garb of his previous schools crested jacket and signs up for a drama class and in the end, the play he created, will unite the characters to a happy ending.I've seen this before... My advice is to see the films I mentioned above first, than let me know if you agree with my review.