The Education of Charlie Banks (2007)

This impressive directorial debut from Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst revolves around an intelligent young man named Charlie (played by Jessie Eisenberg of THE SQUID AND THE WHALE) and his tense adult relationship with the neighborhood bully of his youth. Growing up in a tough part of New York City in the 1970s, Charlie notices, but makes a point of avoiding, Mitch, a kid who is chasing girls and beating kids up in the fourth grade. But Charlie's best friend, Danny (Chris Marquette), is eager to prove his toughness, and befriends Mitch as they enter adolescence. One fateful evening Mitch almost kills two guys in...
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Charlie's presence, so Charlie goes to the cops--then becomes terrified and refuses to testify. But the potential cost of what he's done haunts him for years to come, until one day Mitch shows up unannounced at the prestigious college Charlie and Danny attend, bringing with him a silent threat.

As Charlie prays for Mitch to go back home, Mitch takes everyone by surprise and tries to fit in and change. In his attempts to assimilate to a new world of intellect and wealth, he goes for the girl of Charlie's dreams, and changes the friendship dynamic Charlie has worked so hard to create. As Mitch becomes increasingly involved in a world unlike the one he came from, tensions grow and truths risk breaking the surface. THE EDUCATION OF CHARLIE BANKS features stellar performances from Jesse Eisenberg as well as Jason Ritter, who manages to create a charismatic and sympathetic character with tragic limitations. Eisenberg forms the film's moral core, with Eva Amurri giving substance to the female character both men lust for. Durst succeeds in creating a real sense of place, with sets, wardrobe, and music choices adding up to a believable whole.
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Op een feestje ziet de zestienjarige Charlie Banks (Jesse Eisenberg) dat de iets oudere Mick Leary (Jason Ritter) twee jongens bruut in elkaar slaat. Charlie kent Mick via een goede vriend, maar zijn geweten blijft aan hem knagen en hij vertelt het voorval aan de politie. Enkele jaren later op de universiteit brengt Mick ineens een bezoek aan Charlie. De vraag is of hij weet dat Charlie hem heeft aangegeven bij de politie.

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A young man is faced with a dilemma when a threatening figure from his past returns in this drama, the directorial debut from Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst. Charlie Banks (Jesse Eisenberg) and his best friend, Danny (Chris Marquette), grew up in a rough section of New York, where they both knew Mick (Jason Ritter), a kid whose was much admired for his cool and equally feared for his talent for violence. When Mick got into a fight that left two teens nearly dead, Charlie was a witness, and when he was approached by the police, Charlie told them what he saw, though he later refused to testify against Mick in cour...
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t for fear of his own safety. Several years later, Charlie and Danny have left the old neighborhood behind and are students at a prestigious private university when Mick pays them an unexpected visit. Charlie has no idea if Mick knows that he informed on him to the police, and is afraid to find out, but in the meantime, Mick aggressively reintroduces himself into Charlie and Danny's lives. As Mick starts dressing like a wealthy college boy, reading F. Scott Fitzgerald, and dating a girl Charlie has a crush on, he seems to be transforming himself into someone who can be all Charlie is and more, but in time Mick learns he can't completely turn his back on his past. The Education of Charlie Banks had its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.
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"The Education of Charlie Banks" is a coming-of-age tale that spans from the playgrounds of lower Manhattan to the idyllic greens of Vassar College. It is a story about change, inevitability and about facing one's fears.

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