Jon Poll’s new-to-DVD film, “Charlie Bartlett,” tries, but never reaches its potential to be the next “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Election,” or “Rushmore.”

The promos made me think this movie was going to be a fun, quirky comedy about a smart kid defying the prison of high school and coming out on top. If this movie was funny, somebody needs to explain the humor to me.

This movie is about as predictable as sappy chick-flicks, but it even lacks sap. “Charlie Bartlett” starts off promising, slowly developing Susan and Charlie’s (albeit predictable) relationship. However, the only thing I could concentrate on for most of the movie was how much Susan Gardner (Kat Dennings) desperately needed to remove her too-bright-red lipstick.

Even though the movie does deal with pertinent issues affecting youth today, such as the pressures of school and family, the characters were never fully developed and the film does not seem polished.

Anton Yelchin, who plays the title character, is a fairly good actor, but his ‘charm’ becomes annoying as the movie drags on. It is a cutesy, bland film leaving me not wanting more.

Charlie Bartlett is a good movie to watch if you have absolutely nothing else to watch, but otherwise I would not recommend it.