Being Charlie is the splendidly vulnerable story following the life of Charlie Mills (Nick Robinson), an 18-year-old, California teen struggling with a drug addiction. The film starts with three young men singing a spiritless “Happy Birthday” to Charlie at the stifling Herber Valley Recovery Ranch. Charlie has an adolescent aversion to boredom and a flair for destruction, so he escapes the facility and hitchhikes to a bus stop. On the way, Charlie gets a ride from a Good Samaritan, Harry (Charles Halford). The scene provides the audience with one of many raw and honest interactions that give a candid depth to Charlie and his struggle. Whether it’s the dialogue between Charlie and his family, a reminiscing moment with his best friend Adam (Devon Bostick), or a confrontation with his counselor Travis (Common), Being Charlie has plenty of emotionally compelling scenes that provide a sincere look into the world of addiction recovery.
The screenplay is co-written by Nick Reiner, who based the story partly on his own battle with addiction. Nick is the son of the film’s director, Rob Reiner, making Being Charlie a deeply personal family production. Family is a major theme of the film, preeminently explored through Charlie’s rocky relationship with his father, David Mills (Cary Elwes), a California politician running for governor with a penchant for “tough love.” Charlie’s relationship with his mom, Liseanne (Susan Misner), is only slightly better. The Reiner’s do a tremendous job of showing the emotional toll that addiction takes on a family. In a “Family Group” scene late in the film, each patient in recovery must have one of their parents attend a large group session. In the session, parents painfully show their own insecurities as they unfairly lament about how much promise their children once had and express confusion over how their children became addicted to drugs.
Rob Reiner makes it incredibly easy to root for Charlie to succeed, somehow elevating his crass immaturity into something endearing. As Charlie, Nick Robinson is superb. He is charming and funny and easily wins over the audience. Common is excellent as Charlie’s counselor, Travis, especially in his one-on-one dialogue with patients. In one scene, Charlie has just done a stand-up comedy routine at a recovery center talent show, and he depricates to Travis that “it’s not for everyone.” Travis responds with all heart, “It’s for you. You’ve got you, man, that’s all you’ll ever have.” As an addict, the shame in and around Charlie’s life has been immense, but Travis helps to restore his identity by affirming the person Charlie is becoming.
Being Charlie is emotionally heavy, but flows well. The movie isn’t glamorous. It is a raw, enthralling, story-driven drama. Being Charlie truly shines as the bond between recovery patients grows, and a strong community is forged. Accomplishments are triumphantly celebrated and shortcomings are mourned together. Personal stories are revealed, producing an empathetic tug on the audience. In a world that constantly shames drug abuse, Being Charlie reminds us that addicts are humans, too, and deserve love and affirmation just as much as anyone else. Perhaps most importantly, it shows us that in spite of the struggles we may face in life, we’re better together.