In the fine tradition of "Heathers", "Welcome To The Dollhouse", and "Donnie Darko", "The Chumscrubber" provides compelling and essential viewing.
At first this film appeared from early advertisements to be a possible sequel to "Thumbsucker". It also features Lou Taylor Pucci who played the title role in the earlier film but "The Chumscrubber" is a different beast. While also supporting a knockout cast of mature actors to complement its teen stars, this current film has a strong design theme and a sure sense of momentum which drives the film relentlessly on from the somewhat absurd to the outright wacky. The final shot is a masterful touch not worth missing.
The film spends a few days in the life of Dean Stiffle, a young man getting by on the happy pills which dominate so many of the lives in the planned, homogenous town where he lives a rather solitary life with his game-addicted brother, vitamin obsessed mother, and self-help espousing and desperately exploitative writer/father. When a young man in the town dies, the links between surrounding strangers, acquaintances and friends are thrown into disarray and the dependence of the townsfolk on their various drugs and relationships of choice are revealed in new lights. The results include kidnapping, blackmail, and dark, dark humour highlighted by the film's new media superstar "The Chumscrubber" character itself.
Jamie Bell, so striking in Billy Elliot, plays the subdued Dean with an intensity that promises to glow ever brighter. The supporting company of especially fine performers such as Glenn Close, Ralph Fiennes, William Fichtner, Rita Wilson, Carrie Ann Moss, Allison Janney, Jason Isaacs, Lauren Holly and John Heard amongst others all get their moments to shine in a script which maintains the right blend of character development, absurdist humour and frightening parallels with the world outside the film.
"The Chumscrubber" is all things a good film should be; entertaining, provocative, intelligent and insightful. As painful as the journey may be, in truth we are all freed. Even the Chumscrubber. But not everyone, not even us personally, always wants the truth. In which case, there are many coloured pills and potions to hide behind and within.
At first this film appeared from early advertisements to be a possible sequel to "Thumbsucker". It also features Lou Taylor Pucci who played the title role in the earlier film but "The Chumscrubber" is a different beast. While also supporting a knockout cast of mature actors to complement its teen stars, this current film has a strong design theme and a sure sense of momentum which drives the film relentlessly on from the somewhat absurd to the outright wacky. The final shot is a masterful touch not worth missing.
The film spends a few days in the life of Dean Stiffle, a young man getting by on the happy pills which dominate so many of the lives in the planned, homogenous town where he lives a rather solitary life with his game-addicted brother, vitamin obsessed mother, and self-help espousing and desperately exploitative writer/father. When a young man in the town dies, the links between surrounding strangers, acquaintances and friends are thrown into disarray and the dependence of the townsfolk on their various drugs and relationships of choice are revealed in new lights. The results include kidnapping, blackmail, and dark, dark humour highlighted by the film's new media superstar "The Chumscrubber" character itself.
Jamie Bell, so striking in Billy Elliot, plays the subdued Dean with an intensity that promises to glow ever brighter. The supporting company of especially fine performers such as Glenn Close, Ralph Fiennes, William Fichtner, Rita Wilson, Carrie Ann Moss, Allison Janney, Jason Isaacs, Lauren Holly and John Heard amongst others all get their moments to shine in a script which maintains the right blend of character development, absurdist humour and frightening parallels with the world outside the film.
"The Chumscrubber" is all things a good film should be; entertaining, provocative, intelligent and insightful. As painful as the journey may be, in truth we are all freed. Even the Chumscrubber. But not everyone, not even us personally, always wants the truth. In which case, there are many coloured pills and potions to hide behind and within.