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Prime Video<\/a> is home to a huge library of movie masterpieces \u2014 beloved films that achieved universal acclaim.<\/p>\n But the platform also hosts tons of movies that never quite made it big \u2014 and the Watch With Us<\/a> team likes to make sure they get their flowers.<\/p>\n This week, we\u2019re shouting out Charlie Bartlett, an underrated teen dramedy from 2008 that recently became available on the platform.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for a heartfelt, clever movie with a great cast, don\u2019t miss this hidden gem on Prime Video \u2014 here\u2019s why we love it.<\/p>\n Charlie Bartlett sort of feels like a predecessor to the Netflix series Sex Education \u2014 just like the popular show, the film follows an awkward but bright teenager who becomes an amateur therapist for his classmates, learning about himself and making connections with his fellow students.<\/p>\n Unlike Otis in Sex Education, however, Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin<\/strong><\/a>) provides an additional service to his peers \u2014 he visits different psychiatrists and feigns the symptoms that are plaguing them in order to get prescriptions, which he then distributes among the high schoolers.<\/p>\n 3 Movie Masterpieces to Watch on Prime Video in September: \u2018The Usual Suspects\u2019 and More<\/a><\/p>\n As you might imagine, this comes with many complications. Charlie Bartlett explores Charlie\u2019s own mental health issues, especially his complicated relationship with his father, who is incarcerated. The film leans into the complexities of teen emotions, never simplifying or minimizing them.<\/p>\n As you may recall, Russian-American actor Anton Yelchin was a star on the rise with roles in films like Star Trek, when a car accident tragically cut his life short. Seeing his charming performance in Charlie Bartlett, which was one of his breakout roles, has an added emotional impact in the aftermath of his death.<\/p>\n One of the other main cast members is Robert Downey Jr<\/strong><\/a>., who plays the alcoholic principal of Charlie\u2019s high school. Downey also has a poignant connection to the material \u2014 he famously struggled with drug and alcohol addiction as a teenager and young adult. Downey was still in the process of relaunching his career at the time of the film after getting sober in 2001. Charlie Bartlett came out only a year before Iron Man, which would change Downey\u2019s trajectory forever.<\/p>\n 12 Must-Watch Young Adult and Teen Movies to Stream Right Now (August 2025)<\/a><\/p>\n Knowing where both talented actors ended up makes their on-screen pairing in this film about mental health and second chances feel especially bittersweet.<\/p>\n The talented cast of\u00a0Charlie Bartlett also features\u00a0Kat Dennings<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Hope Davis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n With its themes of mental health, teen angst and complex parent-child relationships, Charlie Bartlett feels like an homage to John Hughes<\/strong> movies like Ferris Bueller\u2019s Day Off or The Breakfast Club. Yelchin definitely resembles a young Matthew Broderick<\/a>,<\/strong> from his preppy, handsome look to his quippy charm. Other ’80s films get their moments too \u2014 there\u2019s a scene where Charlie hams it up in a blazer and boxers that feels reminiscent of the iconic \u201cOld Time Rock and Roll\u201d scene in Risky Business, plus direct references to Harold and Maude.<\/p>\nThe Premise Is Clever and Nuanced<\/h3>\n
Watching the Cast Feels Poignant in 2025<\/h3>\n
It\u2019s an Early Aughts Homage to Teen Movies of the ’80s<\/h3>\n