The Education of Charlie Banks

What is it with musicians trying to make it big in the movie business?  Why do so many musicians ditch their microphones for movie sets?  It happens so frequently, and I find it hard to understand why.  The gross majority of musicians turned actors end up being terrible in their new career, and most of them end up as nothing better than B-movie actors/actresses and directors.  Perhaps they start thinking that they are so good as a musician, that they could be just as good on film?  With this in mind, I’d like to submit to all of you the latest trailer for The Education of Charlie Banks.  The film is the second stab at directing for former “rocker” Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit.  Some of you may remember that he directed the “inspirational comedy” The Longshots.  From what I can gather, Charlie Banks has been released before, back in 2007, but for some reason it will be getting a limited release in theaters in March of this year.  I have never heard of this before, so I’m guessing most of you have not either.  For the curious, here is a brief synopsis containing mild spoilers, courtesy of IMDB:

“THE SEVENTIES: When New York was still the greatest, dirtiest, most conflicted city in the world…

At 16, socially responsible upper west-sider CHARLIE BANKS  witnesses charismatic blue collar sociopath MICK LEARY, 18, brutally beat two unwitting suburban jocks at a high school party. Micks a west village neighborhood buddy of Charlies best friend but Charlies conscience gets the better of him. Telling only his parents, he reports Mick to the police.  Three years later, during his freshman year in college, Mick shows up for a visit. Does Mick know he was the one who ratted him out?  Micks visit stretches past the weekend and Mick and Charlie begin a game of cat and mouse. Nice one moment, and threatening the next, Mick keeps Charlie guessing. But Mick also begins a strange course of assimilation, donning borrowed cashmere from and reading Charlies books and auditing his classes.  Soon Charlie begins to wonder if the intellectual caress of higher education can redeem even someone seemingly as far gone as Mick”

Mr Durst is taking a crack at directing a serious drama for what will be only his second film?  I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt, but that just seems wrong to me.  Personally I was unimpressed by this trailer, but perhaps some of you will be impressed by it.  And even if no one likes it, Fred Durst will be good for a laugh or two, right?

The Education of Charlie Banks is set for a limited release on March 27th, 2009.