by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writing
There’s certainly a lot wrong with many modern trailers. They can show too much or even give you a false impression of what you’re really getting into when you sit down in the theater. But once in a blue moon, a movie knows the hook of the premises is all you need and sells a film to perfection.
Charlie Harper is one such example.
Charlie Harper (I really want to cram an ampersand in there) follows our titular characters, as they test young love by leaving home to build a life together somewhere new. The former is a learned young man (Nick Robinson) who is content with the life he’s living, while the latter is a driven wannabe chef (Emilia Jones) trying to push both herself and Charlie to maximize who they both can be.
Though Jones and Robinson are our stars, what really intrigued me was the structure, which set it apart from the usual romantic tale. The story is told out of order, as each of our leads recount their relationship to mysterious third parties as a framing device, but the movie hooked me from the very first scene because it does two things. First, we’re clued into the fact that the emotions are still raw about the failure of that relationship, though we don’t know what occurred or how long it’s been. Second, it gives us an immediate hit of dopamine as we’re given a meet cute with a twist, that immediately illustrates the chemistry between the two (and third, I guess, introduces “Break it to Me Gently” by Brenda Lee for the first of a few key plays).
The trailer pitched a film that explored a romance that played with memory and nostalgia, and it’s very effective. It makes for engaging performances, as you’re constantly studying the different nuances of how each Charlie and Harper act in different moments and how that sets up future moments, whether that’s moments from the past that are yet to be revealed or shedding light on moments from the future we’ve already seen. Between the two, Jones gets the “showier” moments, and really shines, especially when asked to act using only her facial expressions. But Robinson is still quite good in his more reserved role, which makes the moments when he is emotional that much more impactful. We get to ride the highs of the relationship when we see how much they truly care for each other. That, in turn, makes the roadblocks of personal demons and opposite personalities so heartbreaking when they get in the way. It’s the kind of deep but flawed relationship that means when they argue, they know how to hurt each other, and we know just how deep those cuts go.
However, the unique structure is more than just a gimmick. Does it help hook you? Of course, but it’s also key to the thematic work the film is doing. When it’s playing with the characters’ memories and how they remember their relationship, it’s doing the same with the audience. One scene, plays things like a classic rom-com and makes you smile, before wiping that smile off your face in the next scene by hitting you with emotions and reminding you it’s not that kind of movie. Then, it goes right back to making you smile again, so you forget literally where you just left the characters. That’s all part of how it plays on nostalgia, both for our characters and us, the audience, by showing those rose-tinted moments and playing with scenes we’ve seen before, but with additional context.
Structurally, it acts very much like the visual puzzle the movie uses to illustrate one character’s dyslexia—we know where things start and end, but the middle is all muddled about. Even technically, the use of grainy flashback for the early high school days of the romance are another clever twist that both helps visually illustrate that these memories aren’t quite as fresh and, as a practical matter, help to hide the fact that it needs to get away with passing off actors in their mid-20s and early 30s as high schoolers.
Writer-director Tom Dean and co-director Mac Eldridge ride the delicate balance of the film’s unique structure well and never in a way that’s to the film’s detriment. However, that’s not to say it’s executed perfectly. Especially early in the timeline, I’m not 100% sure I’m clear on the timeline and that it totally tracks. At times, particularly in the voice over moments, the dialogue can feel a bit pretentious. I also don’t think they nail the moment between Charlie and Harper toward the film’s conclusion.
But then it plays “Break it to Me Gently” one more time while allowing Jones to do her thing with her facial acting and sends it to the credits with me in my feelings.
Rating: Loved It
Charlie Harper is currently in theaters.
You can read more from Jake Bourgeois, and follow him on Bluesky and Letterboxd