Just Charlie (2017) User Reviews

One of the best transgender representations ever on film

[jimmylindberg93 · 8/10 · 26 November 2018]

What this film may lack in budget it certainly makes up for in heart. Superb acting from everyone involved, especially from the actor playing Charlie.

The movie starts during a period that is sensitive to all transgender children and captures Charlie's troubles with her changing body and restricting choices very well. Charlie is unique for a transgender girl in a movie in that she still likes to do "boyish" things.

It is a must see for most people since it provides much needed education in this matter.

Charlie is a great football player. He's also a girl.

[Red-125 · 8/10 · 24 October 2017]

Just Charlie (2017) is an English film directed by Rebekah Fortune. Harry Gilby plays Charlie Lyndsay, a teenager who is a superior football (soccer) player at his school. He's so skilled that he's already being recruited by a major football team. Life is good, but it isn't.

Charlie realizes that she is really a girl trapped in a boy's body. She's not gay, but rather has what is now called gender dsyphoria. This would be hard enough without football, but it's worse for Charlie because she really wants to play football, although she wants to play on the women's team.

The complications of this situation--with parents, with friends, with coaches, and with the public--are predictable. A complication that's not mentioned in the film is that Charlie is a superb player on the boys' team. He will be unbeatable on a girl's team. Is this fair to the other girls--his teammates and the young women on the opposing teams?

Harry Gilby, as Charlie, is an excellent actor. You can believe that his gender identity is female, and you can believe that he has the courage to openly address his situation, rather than conceal it. That's what makes the movie interesting and worth seeing.

We saw this film at Rochester's excellent Little Theatre, as part of ImageOut, the superb LGBT Film Festival. It will work well on the small screen. The screening at ImageOut was the East Coast premiere of this movie. Hats off to the Programming Committee for bring this film to Rochester.

A formidable life challenge . . .

[REVVINCENT · 8/10 · 22 December 2020]

I first became familiar with Gilby while watching "Tolkien" where Gilby plays the young JRR Tolkien. To say that Gilby is stunningly good looking, even pretty, is putting it mildly. He also is quite charming.

I opted to watch "Just Charlie" after seeing Gilby in "Tolkien". As a gay man who came out 52 years ago, I was curiouis. Not being fully familiar with the central them of "Just Charlie", I was at first surprised. At one point I considered simply not continuing to watch the movie. But, my inner voice said "give it a chance".

Gilby's portrayal of a teen transsexual, MTF (male to female) is superbly acted / played. Our world continues to be challenged with the widening diversity of the human experience. Being "locked into" a body that is the wrong gender for that body must be extremely challenging and even threatening.

Gilby gets five gold stars for his performance. I gave it eight.

Beautifully portrayed

[Gordon-11 · 8 March 2020]

The story is really good. It convincingly tells the psychological journey of Charlie and family. The struggles, pain and love are all so beautifully portrayed. I was very touched by the film. I loved it.

Plays about with the cliche.

[blueghostskater · 7/10 · 8 April 2020]

There is a lot to like in this spunky English film about the T in LGBT. And while there are all of the tropes you've seen so many times, there is enough that is different that keeps the movie from sinking.

A majority of the acting is ho-hum, but the actor who plays Charlie does break out quite a bit. Also fascinating is their best mate.

The main thing this film has is a whole range of reactions to the realities of What Charlie is declaring to the world. That's invaluable because viewers can pick out who they see themselves as and also why they may ought to become someone else.

This movie I presume gets an R rating for language and that's a shame considering the audience who needs to see it. Teens.

Just Charlie review

[maddiebuggie · 7/10 · 17 June 2020]

This seem in very realistic. Didn't try to Sugarcoat anything. The characters, character development, storyline, plot line acting were all really good. There was a lot of drama, sadness, happiness, to keep the story entertaining. This movie does talk about a child who is transgender. There also soccer being talked about. Overall I think the story does a pretty good good on the topic of what it like to be transgender and go through it and what it can do to your friends and family. I think it a good watch.

A gem

[andyhighton21 · 10/10 · 27 September 2018]

I'm just going to touch on the ending. Many people say it shouldn't have been included, but I disagree. Whilst I didn't like it, I think it was necessary. A young person in a similar situation may see this film and learn from it. Without that ending, they may make the same mistake. Kids can be cruel, and that shouldn't be overlooked.

I think it's a very well written film that shows the day to day problems a young trans person may face.

I was in a very dark place when I was younger, and watching 'Beautiful Thing' changed my life. This film is a gem, and I hope it will do for others what Beautiful Thing did for me.

10/10

Believable and profoundly moving

[Mark_H_Smit · 9/10 · 1 October 2019]

This is one of those movies that I saw on streaming without ever having heard of it. I am so glad I watched it. The story is believable and I found the acting superb. This certainly deserves a higher rating than its current 6.9: please don't tell me people rate this movie so low because of transphobia.

Knowing a transgender person myself, I think the feelings portrayed in this movie are absolutely realistic. As are some of the shocking (and fortunately sometimes heartwarming) reactions by people. Oh how I wish every child and every parent saw this movie.

Nothing new here

[scottinhawaii-1 · 5/10 · 29 December 2019]

The good acting is significantly weighed down by the script. It's formulaic. The dad has troubles and the mom and sister are supportive. All too familiar GLBT tropes are brought to bear. It's not bad and would likely give hope to a kid in this situation. Now go watch Ma Vie En Rose.

Still the same person - the only change is making the outside match the inside.

[Howlin Wolf · 8/10 · 8 July 2018]

Harry Gilby is a revelation!

There's a meme going around on the Internet (I know, I know, I'm down with the kids!) ... "If someone shows you who they are, believe them". It's usually used in a negative sense; i.e: 'if someone displays negative traits, then don't doubt your instinct' ... but I say that this maxim can also be turned into a positive - if somebody TELLS you who they are, believe them. It doesn't cost the individual anything to accept people as they describe themselves, even when that means disregarding how society thinks they ought to be.

I felt a little bit queasy about the film seeming to use violence as some kind of 'twist' - and even somewhat angry that I as a viewer had been manipulated into feeling emotion, only to have the rug yanked out from underneath me... It seemed cheap, in a way that the rest of the film wasn't, and to my mind, represented a late miscalculation in what is otherwise a fantastic film

Very well told

[Red_Identity · 1 July 2018]

I didn't know what to expect from this but I found it to be a very sensitive, well-told story. The film is keen on small little details and it's very concerned with exploring the perceptions and reactions of the people around you throughout an experience like this. There is one very manipulative, cheap shot at the end (you'll see it when you get to it) that served no purpose and put a bitter taste in my mouth, but aside from that careless and shockingly contrived scene the rest of the film is very good.

Very Accurate

[altruistica-34377 · 8/10 · 2 October 2023]

I'm a 50 year old transgender woman and have personally dealt with every topic covered within this movie- from the family issues to friends leaving my life and unfortunately a violent assault.

So accurate were parts of the movie that I felt myself reliving actual occurrences throughout portions of my life. I guess people don't comprehend- just the same way they "know" who they are TG people know who they are.

This movie is absolutely spot on for reality. I've lived it. The court of public opinion judges things they don't understand harshly. It doesn't have to be that way. I hope that this movie helps people understand a little about our lives.

Most Underrated Movie of all time

[mete-37499 · 7 August 2021]

A Underrated Perfect Picture for Drama,Theme,Casting and Processing.