Thumbsucker (2005)

Synopsis

Title: Thumbsucker (2005)

Genre: Drama

Rating: R

Running Time: 96 minutes

Director: Mike Mills

Main Actors: Lou Taylor Pucci, Tilda Swinton, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D’Onofrio, Keanu Reeves,

The Plot: Justin Conn is a teenager who has a difficult time with his peers. In response to all the anxiety in his life, Justin resorts to sucking his thumb. The boy struggles to find an identity for himself.

My Take

Thumbsucker is a unique film in many ways. The direction of the film was unusual, but not all bad. There were times when the screen went all pink and random images floated across the screen. This would have made since perhaps in certain situations, but it seemed out of place. I also thought that some of the scenes were too choppy and repetitive; it gave me the feeling of low budget. However, the acting in this movie was excellent! Vince Vaughn is one of my favorite actors and although he was not the main actor, I enjoyed his part. He plays as the teacher Mr. Geary and provides some humor in a story that is at times almost overwhelmingly sad. Lou Taylor Pucci does a good job as the troubled teenager, and the whole cast did a good job with their parts. Like I said earlier, the story is sad but it is also engaging. I think they used too much dialogue to explain the story instead of letting it come naturally, and the directing was a little too weird at times for my taste, but over all I enjoyed the film.

Should You Watch???

You should watch for the acting and for an engaging story. It is not uplifting and I did not like the teenage drug use or the profanity from young children. If these things in particular turn you off, then you might not want to watch the film but I will say that it is not like that throughout most of the movie. If you can look past some of these things and take the movie for what it’s worth, I think it’s worthy of a couple hours of your time. You will see how poor parenting can affect a child, and how anxieties in a child’s life can become overwhelming without faith, help and understanding from those who are closest to them.

Popcorn Rating

Kettle Corn