'Charlie Countryman': A Review

Also known as The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, this semi-psychological romdramedy follows Charlie (Shia LaBeouf) through the streets of Bucharest as he chases Gabi (Evan Rachel Wood) around for the majority of the film. This may seem romantic at first, but this would be a bit creepy if it were real life.

Charlie, a twenty-something from Chicago, flies to Bucharest after his recently deceased mother (Melissa Leo) appears to him and suggests he fly there. What's the significance of the capital of Romania? I'm still unsure, but he goes anyway. He meets Victor, Gabi's father, on the flight and promises to deliver a hat to her on his behalf. In cliche fashion, he falls in love with beautiful and mysterious Gabi instantly.

Of course a girl like Gabi has to come with baggage, which appears in the form of her unstable and quite older ex Nigel (Mads Mikkelsen). Of course he's involved with organized crime and has violent outbursts because why date an older guy if he isn't a criminal that makes hundreds of thousands of dollars? Of course Charlie has to get himself involved in a complex situation that he doesn't fully understand because he has to be the American hero.

There is a short while where Charlie isn't looking for Gabi, and that's when he meets his roommates Carl (Rupert Grint) and Luke (James Buckley) at a hostel, takes acid with the guys, and goes to a club with them. Of course they get into trouble at the club and find themselves on the bad side of Darko (Til Schweiger), a friend of Nigel. Of course.

Charlie wants to be a savior and essentially has a death wish. While this sort of behavior is welcome in many circumstances, he causes more problems for the girl he loves as a result. Let's explore a few of many flaws of this film without giving away too much:

• The main issue here is the script. It is clear the actors are working with what they were given, and I question if revisions were made at all. It had the potential at the base, but failed to have stronger dialogue and plot points. In fact, the film became predictable after the first twenty minutes, and there were far too many instances of cliche dialogue.
• The film tries too hard to be more than it is. It's a pretty film, that's for sure. The lighting and tone is excellent throughout, but even that can't save it. Charlie has hallucinations a few times in the film, so there are hints at this trying to be part psychological adventure when really you just question if Charlie has some sort of mental illness (not trying to stigmatize mental illness, fyi). He has one drug-induced trip with hallucinations, but you're curious as to why the others occur. Trauma perhaps? 
• Besides the flat psychological parts, this film also dabbles in comedy in the midst of much dark drama. I'm not talking about moments of comic relief, which is expected in a drama. We're talking about scenes that are supposed to be funny in a way that changes the tone of the film, and you momentarily forget that this is mostly a dark drama and not like Transformers.
• Plot issue: Charlie has never been to Bucharest before. He doesn't speak Romanian. But he ends up driving a car roughly 30 minutes after exiting the airport and initially riding with a cab driver he barely understands. We see him pull out a map for a short while (and where did that come from?) as he is driving. Realistically, you don't drive in a foreign country if you have no idea where you're going and haven't planned ahead. 
• Possible plot and character issue: Charlie can't take "no" for an answer because he loves Gabi, no matter how many times she tells him to go away because he doesn't need to get involved with her dark past. This is where we question Charlie's common sense and whether or not he has an illness of sorts. Is he far enough removed from reality that he can't see how he's putting both of them in unnecessary danger? He even puts Carl and Luke in danger, and he barely knows them either! He tries to blackmail Nigel after being threatened and assaulted by the guy on more than one occasion, and you can predict how that turns out. We get it, Gabi needs to be protected (though she never says she can't take care of herself or wants his help...), but her life would be less complicated without you.

Overall, the film is shot well, and all of the actors do their best with the characters they're given (unfortunately not much for Grint and Buckley). The soundtrack is legit, including M83 and The xx. Charlie Countryman was set up for indie greatness but falls so flat it's frustrating. What's the point of having so many talented actors if you're barely going to utilize them? This is the LaBeouf, Woods, and Mikkelsen show; the rest of the cast don't do enough to get the "supporting" label in all honesty. Apparently this film was Black Listed some time ago, and I think it should've stayed that way.

Also, I'm over the story line of "love at first sight that's initially one-way but becomes mutual if the person forces him- or herself into the other's life at any moment possible." Can we please stop romanticizing stalkerish behavior?

If anything, give the film a chance for aesthetic purposes only. It's currently streaming on Netflix.