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

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

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

| Aug 15, 2011

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.

| Original Score: C- | Jun 15, 2009

perceptive and gripping

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 13, 2009

It's just a shame the story wasn't handled as a simple memoir, rather than some sort of cautionary tale.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Apr 17, 2009

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

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Apr 17, 2009

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.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Apr 17, 2009

Travels in some unexpected, thoughtful directions.

Full Review | Apr 3, 2009

The cast is superb in their performances.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Apr 1, 2009

A surprisingly amiable coming-of-age tale that is especially remarkable for its honesty about class.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 1, 2009

A film that succeeds at being good without really succeeding in being worthwhile.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 31, 2009

There are some things to like about The Education of Charlie Banks, but also plenty that detracts from what could be an interesting story.

Full Review | Mar 30, 2009

You take one scene that doesn't quite get there followed by another scene that doesn't quite get there, all of a sudden you've got a movie that doesn't quite get there.

| Mar 30, 2009

Unnerving and uneven college drama is well-acted but doesn't seem to know what it's trying to say.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 29, 2009

Too often Durst's direction is overly earnest, heavy in long takes, atmosphere wise but scene foolish.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 27, 2009

The Education of Charlie Banks wants to be The Great Gatsby of college movies. It falls a tad short.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Mar 27, 2009

Thanks to sincere performances (most notably from Mr. Ritter and Eva Amurri as Charlie's upper-crust crush) and clever writing (by Peter Elkoff), the movie never becomes maudlin.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 27, 2009

You will spend this film's entire 100+ minutes waiting for the inevitable moment of reckoning between Charlie and the young thug he fears the most.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Mar 27, 2009

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 27, 2009