CHARLIE BARTLETT

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Anyone who doubts for a second that Anton Yelchin ("Alpha Dog") is on his way to being a big deal should see this smart satire that’s a cross between "Catcher in the Rye" and "Running With Scissors."

Yelchin plays child-of-privilege Charlie Bartlett, whose all-engrossing desire to be popular has gotten him kicked out of every private school he’s attended, for things like running a fake I.D. business.

Relegated to public school, Charlie makes some quick adjustments — like losing the uniform blazer and tapping into the unlimited prescription drug supply that his new psychiatrist is only too happy to prescribe.

Charlie’s status as the school’s go-to-amateur shrink has the teen populace eating out of his hand, including the principal’s daughter Susan (Kat Dennings).

Robert Downey Jr. adds considerably to the gravitas of the piece as Principal Nathan Gardener, whose sobriety and sanity are shaken by Charlie’s powers of seduction.

Here is a perfect example of what indie fans refer to as a "great little movie."

Rated R. 97 mins.