37
Metascore
30 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 60Village VoiceVillage VoiceThis handsomely shot melodrama has a twist too peculiar to dismiss as some two-bit Nicholas Sparks weepie.
- 50Orlando SentinelRoger MooreOrlando SentinelRoger MooreThe movie's central gimmick isn't enough, and when more supernatural twists that don't play by the movie's own fantasy rules kick in, it lost me.
- 50Arizona RepublicKerry LengelArizona RepublicKerry LengelGuilt, grief and the struggle to move on are big themes, but unfortunately, director Burr Steers and his script writers aren't interested in exploring them.
- 50Miami HeraldRene RodriguezMiami HeraldRene RodriguezCharlie St. Cloud is primarily a vehicle to prove the actor can do more than dance and sing. It's more of a demo reel for Efron than a movie. His predominant fan base, though, won't mind a bit.
- 42Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanThe surreal thing is, Zac Efron can't do despair.
- 40Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichCue those weepy violins. Indeed, you get everything you'd expect from this mostly saccharine melodrama.
- 40Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenThough the soundtrack comes on kind of heavy, the cinematography (by Enrique Chediak) has a beautiful clarity. Yorick's skull or not, Charlie St. Cloud is no Shakespearean drama, but the film should prove to be another solid stepping stone for Efron on his way to a long adult career.
- 38Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsChicago TribuneMichael PhillipsDirector Burr Steers milks them dry, like an overeager farmer at milking time, which is a paradox since this is the wettest picture of 2010, what with the sea spray and Efron's tear ducts and the general metaphysical mist.
- 25Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversSome bad movies should carry a leper's bell to warn off ticket buyers. Such a contagion is Charlie St. Cloud, a load of mawkish swill starring Zac Efron (bereft of the talent he showed in "Me and Orson Welles").