The Education of Charlie Banks (2007)

Director:

Fred Durst

Writer:

Peter Elkoff (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

College student Charlie Banks has to face old problems when the bully he had an unpleasant encounter with back in high school shows up on his campus.

Plot Keywords:

College Student | Coming Of Age | Cultural Difference | 1970s | Opening Narration

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jesse Eisenberg	...	Charlie
Jason Ritter	...	Mick
Eva Amurri	...	Mary
Chris Marquette	...	Danny
Sebastian Stan	...	Leo
Gloria Votsis	...	Nia
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Danny A. Abeckaser	...	Arresting Officer
Dennis Boutsikaris	...	Mr. Banks
Miles Chandler	...	Young Mick
Sam Daly	...	Owen
William DeCoff	...	Airport Valet
Amanda Donaghey	...	Glee Club Member
Alex Guarino	...	Buzzy Tim
Steven Hinkle	...	Young Charlie
Gabe Karon	...	Terry
Olivia Keister	...	Michelle
Cain Kerner	...	Young Danny
Nicholas Leiter Mele	...	Screaming Kid
Charles Parnell	...	Asst. DA Worsheck
Patrick Pitu	...	Suicide Witness
Todd Poudrier	...	Pilot
Josh Richman	...	Professor Gersten
Vincent James Russo	...	1970's Rocker
Jeremy Schwartz	...	Bartender
Gabby Sherba	...	Gabby
James Zimmerman	...	Tim
Jason Anthony	...	Basketball Player (uncredited)
Emily Boisseau	...	Girl From Danny's Class (uncredited)
Jessica Conlan	...	Sarah (uncredited)
Domenic Fuggetta	...	Student (uncredited)
Amy B. Hill	...	College girl (uncredited)
Matthew O'Neill	...	College Student (uncredited)
Melanie Scalera	...	College Student (uncredited)
Ryan Shibley	...	Rugby Player #1 (uncredited)
Justin Sulham	...	Rugby Bully (uncredited)
Kal Thompson	...	College Student (uncredited)
Darya Zabinski	...	Dancer at the Prom (uncredited)
Matt Zuena	...	Student (uncredited)

Directed by
Fred Durst

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Peter Elkoff		writer

Produced by
Declan Baldwin	....	co-producer
Tove Christensen	....	associate producer
Ged Dickersin	....	line producer
Peter Elkoff	....	executive producer
Tamara Friedman	....	post-production producer
Ken Guarino	....	executive producer
Sam Maydew	....	executive producer
Marisa Polvino	....	producer

Original Music by
John Swihart

Cinematography by
Alex Nepomniaschy

Film Editing by
Eric L. Beason

Casting by
Laray Mayfield

Production Design by
Chad Detwiller

Art Direction by
Jordan Jacobs

Set Decoration by
Gretchen Schlottman

Costume Design by
John Glaser
Elizabeth Shelton

Makeup Department
Marleen Alter	....	additional makeup artist
Frank Barbosa	....	additional hair stylist
Melanie Harris	....	hair stylist
Shannon Hughey	....	key makeup artist
Susie Mendez Pfister	....	key makeup artist
Dionne Pitsikoulis	....	makeup department head
Victoria M. Porter	....	assistant hair stylist
Gunnar Swanson	....	hair department head

Production Management
Burdette Anderson	....	post-production supervisor
Larry Rodriguez	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Inna Braude	....	second second assistant director
Keith Jones	....	second assistant director
Curtis Smith	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Jessica Case	....	set dresser
Noah Dubreuil	....	assistant property master
Elizabeth Fisher	....	props intern
Zack Gorman	....	set dresser
Emily Hoge	....	set dresser
Janine Moore	....	art department coordinator
John F. O'Neil	....	on-set dresser
Mark O'Neil	....	set dresser
John Ryder	....	picture car coordinator
Steven Sparfven	....	set dresser
Katie Tower	....	assistant art director
Alys Vincent	....	lead man

Sound Department
Brent Arledge	....	boom operator
Christof Gebert	....	sound mixer
Brennan Gerle	....	sound effects editor
Kenneth Gombos	....	sound recordist
Dennis Gray	....	dialogue editor
Bill Higley	....	adr mixer
Chad J. Hughes	....	sound effects editor
Craig Hunter	....	sound re-recording mixer
Peter Kelsey	....	sound re-recording mixer
Cecilia Perna	....	adr mixer
Cecilia Perna	....	foley mixer
David Rawlinson	....	supervising sound editor
Christopher B. Reeves	....	dialogue editor
Mary Louise Rodgers	....	foley artist
Katie Rowe	....	foley artist
Debby Ruby-Winsberg	....	supervising adr editor
David F. Van Slyke	....	sound designer
Jordan Pontell	....	dialogue assembly (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Bill Coffin	....	visual effects supervisor
Doug Delaney	....	digital intermediate colorist
Boyd Stepan	....	Inferno artist

Stunts
Stanton Barrett	....	stunt rigger
Roy Farfel	....	stunt rigger
Kevin Rogers	....	stunts
Manny Siverio	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Mikki Ansin	....	still photographer
Tony Arnaud	....	grip
Nathan Beaman	....	electrician
Jason Brignola	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Ben Cohen	....	electrician
Thomas Czupryna	....	assistant electrician
Cory Durst	....	camera production assistant
Michael Dynice	....	additional grip
Geoff Eads	....	grip
Jennifer Evans	....	dolly grip
Mike Jackson	....	electrician
Eric Jerman	....	assistant electrician
Gábor Kövér	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Ed Koza	....	assistant grip
Nina Kuhn	....	best boy electric
Ed Lalli	....	additional grip
Bill LeClair	....	grip
Damon Lemay	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Dave McAllister	....	key grip
Matthew Mendelson	....	electrician
Colin Oberschmidt	....	electrician
Georgia Pantazopoulos	....	electrician
Steve Peloquin	....	best boy grip
Travis Quegan	....	assistant grip
David C. Romano	....	grip
Ken Shibata	....	gaffer
Caleb Smith	....	gaffer
Frank Stubblefield	....	generator operator
Robert Thorp	....	additional grip
William Trautvetter	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Lee Vickery	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Greg Wimer	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Yueni Zander	....	camera loader

Casting Department
Jessica Daniels	....	casting: New York
Anne Mulhall	....	extras casting
Alyssa Rand	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Wayne Allen	....	set costumer
Sonya M. Andonov	....	wardrobe supervisor
Emily Boisseau	....	wardrobe production assistant
Sue Gearan	....	costumer
Fallon Masterson	....	wardrobe production assistant
Margaret Palmer	....	assistant costume designer
Margaret Palmer	....	wardrobe supervisor
Julia Van Vliet	....	key set costumer

Editorial Department
Jason Barnes	....	additional assistant editor
Matthew W. Johnson	....	IQ artist
Jimmy Mann	....	colorist: dailies
Dennis Thorlaksen	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Felix Bird	....	assistant to composer
Ted Blaisdell	....	orchestra recording engineer
Michael Brake	....	score editor
Chris Douridas	....	music supervisor
Stephen Lotwis	....	music editor
Hyesu Yang	....	music preparation

Transportation Department
Sam Cardarelli Jr.	....	transportation
James Healey	....	transportation
Carl Hettling	....	transportation
John Lamcureax	....	transportation
Timothy Paustian	....	transportation captain
Glenn Robinson	....	transportation
Antonio Silva	....	transportation

Other crew
Nicole Anderson	....	key craft service
Nicholas S. Biron	....	production assistant
Anthony Bonello	....	set intern
Laurie Brandt	....	production executive (as Laurie Brandt)
Henry Broccoli	....	set security
Jonathan Burrow	....	set intern
Jeff Caron	....	location manager
Eric Chamberland	....	housing coordinator
Mimi Coleman	....	location coordinator
Derek Cunningham	....	production assistant
Dan DaCunha	....	production assistant
Frank Dauro	....	set production assistant
Cary DeGraff	....	assistant to producer
Patricia de Paula	....	production coordinator
Valerie Dillman	....	adr loop group
Ryan Durkay	....	office intern
Mary Jane Faris	....	production accountant
Rebecca Flinn	....	adr loop group
Jeffery Gage	....	financial director
Joe Gagnepain	....	assistant location manager
Tim Gallegos	....	digital restoration
Joseph Guglielmo	....	stand-in
Dylan Hart	....	adr loop group
David Heckel	....	adr loop group
Brian S. Hewitt	....	production assistant
Eric Hodosh	....	set production assistant
Gabe Karon	....	assistant to director
Mark Killian	....	set/office intern
Reshad Kulenovic	....	set intern
Joseph Laureni	....	development executive
Sung Lee	....	production assistant
Dave Major	....	set production assistant
Juan Mazara	....	key set production assistant
Morgan Medwin	....	craft service assistant
Mario Nila	....	production assistant
Tina Panella-Hart	....	adr loop group
Christina Pitassi	....	accounting supervisor
Jill W. Reurs	....	script supervisor
Joe Robinson	....	production secretary
John Ryder	....	location scout
Robert Saba	....	set production assistant
Jonathan Sheinberg	....	exclusive producers representitive
James Sibell	....	locations unit production assistant
Shane Sweet	....	adr loop group
Stacey Tanner	....	office production intern
Todd Tieuli	....	office intern
Angelo Vacco	....	adr loop group
Cleo Wang	....	production assistant
Danielle Wilson	....	craft service: b unit
Derek Yip	....	budget consultant
Marco Zanelli	....	stand-in

Thanks
Steven Feinberg	....	grateful acknowledgment

Production Companies

• Charlie Banks
• Collective, The
• Myriad Pictures
• Straight Up Films
• Strongheart Pictures
• Tax Credit Finance

Distributors

• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2009) (USA) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• HBO Hungary (2009) (Hungary) (TV) (original airing) (Cinemax)
• Indies Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Movie Bank (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)

Other Companies

• Cut Music  score editorial
• Hand Held Films  camera equipment provided by
• Post Logic Studios  post-production facilities
• R/H Factor  sound post-production
• Tribe Road Catering  catering
• Wow & Flutter  sound re-recording

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language, some violence, sexual content, and drug and alcohol use.

Runtime:

USA:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:M18 | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

Company:

Charlie Banks

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: After Charlie finds out that Mick beat up Leo, he goes to search for Mary. When she doesn't answer her dorm room door, we see him run into a white building. The camera dollies in towards the entrance and at the bottom of the frame you can clearly see the dolly track laid out.

Movie Connections:

References Tempest (1980) (VG)

Successful if a tad sketchy in places

There are two ways you can look at this film. The first is simply as a drama film like any other, a well-set piece for the epoch it unfolds in; certainly the clothing and set accessories are all in their right place for the 70's/80's. The acting is quite impressive all around: Jesse Eisenberg and Jason Ritter are the stars of the show, commanding very well-built characters; one a more introspective, unspoken kid and the other a more domineering, swagger-carrying bad-ass. Chris Marquette and Sebastian Stan are also worthy of note, as is Eva Amurri as the typical thrill-seeking bored rich girl - the type that tends to want what she can't have, in this case a guy who is perhaps not to be trifled with, possibly of the kind she is ill-equipped to deal with, or at least to deal with as she does - again the typical heart-breaking machinery at work.

The other way you can look at this film is as a Fred Durst production. Considering he was the director, you're ready to give it more credit than it would be worth straight out of the bat. It is quite impressive on his part that he was able to put this together (if such was the case), even if marks of a certain lack of experience are visible throughout. First we have the screenplay - some of what the characters are saying is repetitive and at times nonsensical. The dialogue could have been more elaborate - that would certainly have upped the quality and believability quotient - not that the film strays too far from reality - in fact it tends to steer back on track and find it's way safely to the end, yet scenes such as the one when Jason Ritter is in the bar by himself with only a few "workers" around him and the things the barman spouts there. These exhibitions of class demarcation and the like are ultimately unreal. There is also an ongoing attack at "rich people" in general, when the case being considered is that of the spoiled offspring of some rich people - not all "rich people" are worthy of scorn. Second there is the unnecessary use of swear words. At a certain point in the film these just become tiring. Not that films should forcefully not contain these, the simple fact is a film reads differently than, say, a rap album with explicit content.

However you look at it, notwithstanding, the film still pulls through successfully. Considering the kind of garbage being thrown our way these days, The Education Of Charlie Banks stands. The title is fitting; indeed, even if we may think otherwise, Charlie is the one who ends up learning from things. He in a way corrects his ways and makes the right choice. He shows humanity, he tries to be cooperative as opposed to being oppressive. Here the film triumphs, in that it reveals a positive message.

Kudos to otherwise career-dead Durst for carrying this one through; let's hope he learns from his mistakes and rises to make better things? One can't help but think this could have been so immensely better with a different director, yet it is still surprising that it was carried under his wing.

6.5(7)/10