Caught THUMBSUCKER Friday night and totally enjoyed it. Got to see it w a good crew, too - Jacky, Yuko, and Rowan. Since I couldn't motivate anyone to hit BROKEN FLOWERS, we had the time to hit the Border for some dindins. Love those chips!
I wasn't thinking "high school" movie going into it, but it definitely fits the niche for me. The expected indie-ness as well as the noteworthy cast, being skewed to the adult end of the scale, kinda threw me off, y'know? Not that the teenaged thespians aren't noteworthy, they just weren't the big names or famous faces. The kid who plays Justin, the THUMBSUCKER, is a perfect awkward outsider teen. Depending on his situation he can draw on some Wiley Wiggins, some mealy-mouthed FREAKS & GEEKS Sam, in both stammering and righteous flavors (now the minion chef on KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL), and even some scheming Parker Lewis.
Justin is making his misfit way through his last year of high school and next year hopes to escape to a college as far away from home as possible. Unfortunately, until now, he's been a pretty mediocre student, and his options are pretty limited. If only he could belong, be better adjusted, fit in somewhere, then things would fall into place. He'd be able to concentrate on what needs doing, improving his grades, focusing on his studies, and perhaps the debate team, instead of getting all muddled up by his anxiety over socializing. The only thing that keeps this anxiety at bay is his habit of thumbsucking, which he's done since childhood. His father insists, and his orthodontist recommends, that he quit this habit as soon as possible. And he WANTS to, but he just doesn't know how. In his quest to find a "cure," he uncovers all manner of misfits, among his family, friends, and teachers, who have their own versions of "thumbsucking," their own issues and secrets.
These misfits are played quite cooly by an excellent cast. Vincent D'onofrio is Justin's dad, the high school football star robbed of pro glory by an injury. He's now doing a half-assed job of figuring out fatherhood, and now, marriage, trying to apply his football-isms ("tough it out!") to life's challenges every chance he gets. In his mind, Justin, his thumbsucking son, is a constant reminder of how they fall short.
Tilda Swinton is the caregiving wife and mom. With both her children in stages of life where they don't need her so much, she finds herself a bit lost, adrift, without focus. Looking for a distraction, she finds it in a sweepstakes contest to win a date with cheezy cop show star Matt Schadd... or Scradd... or Shradd, can't rightly recall. She tells Justin it's just a bit of fun, but she still feels the need to keep it on the down low around her husband.
Benjamin Bratt plays the aforementioned hollywood star, whom Justin actually gets to meet by chance. When he does, he discovers that superstar Matt is just as screwed up as everyone else. Probably even more so.
Vince Vaughn is Justin's debate coach. I don't think I need to say anymore, do I?
Keanu Reeves as Justin's new agey orthodontist is so very much fun. He's genuinely concerned about Justin's well-being, and attempts to help him in his new agey way, but Justin feels that it backfires, and is not exactly grateful for it. When he seeks a kind of payback, he starts a sort of pendulum swinging between the two of them. The two characters swing thru each other's lives for short moments throughout the film, the longest being the length of a check-up, but in their brief encounters, each one profoundly affects the other. Prepare yourself for some excellently delivered schizo jaded/zen philosophy from The One.
A couple more notes on the younger end of the cast spectrum... Justin's little brother gets to say a couple of the most perfect things. Pay attention. The actress that plays Justin's young activist muse reminds me of a less ducky Mena Suvari. That's a good thing.
This would be a very interesting double feature with NAPOLEON DYNAMITE. Granted, anything would probably be made better with some NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, but I mean that I think there'd be some real resonance between these two flicks.
Allright, enough early a.m. rambling for now.
Keep on keepin on~
The best thing I ever heard:
"When you're feeling scared or lonely, I want you to call your power animal..."
--- Justin's orthodontist, played by Keanu Reeves, THUMBSUCKER
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