Directed by:
Arie Posin
Starring:
Jamie Bell ………. Dean Stiffle
Justin Chatwin ………. Billy
Camilla Belle ………. Crystal Falls
Thomas Curtis ………. Charley Bratley
Ralph Fiennes ………. Mayor Michael Ebbs
Rita Wilson ………. Terri Bratley
Glenn Close ………. Mrs. Johnson
William Fichtner ………. Dr. Bill Stiffle
Allison Janney ………. Mrs. Stiffle
Carrie-Anne Moss ………. Jerri Falls
Lou Taylor Pucci ………. Lee Parker
John Heard ………. Officer Lou Bratley
Rory Culkin ………. Charlie Stiffle
The Movie
The Chumscrubber takes a dark comedy approach to looking at the state of middle class America, more specifically suburban life. It tries to show the separation between parents and children in the new millennium and how adults are faster to prescribe their children medication than to sit down and discuss what’s on their minds. This subject matter would be more entertaining if it weren’t for the fact that it’s a theme many film makers have used ever since American Beauty received all the acclaim that it did back in 1999.
Dean Stiffle is your average outcast student who has very few close friends and could be considered by most to be a loner. He has a best friend named Troy who is responsible for a large part of the drugs trafficking in the school, Troy was a crucial part of the community in many ways since he helped keep things balanced. One day Dean finds Troy dead in his room. He walks out not mentioning a thing to the adults who were having a party at the time instead walked right out the front door with the same shocked and blank expression on his face.
Not even given enough time to grieve Dean is confronted by his father who wants to help him deal with his worries only not with words, instead self medication. He gives Dean a bottle of pills and tells him they’ll help him deal with his emotions. At school he’s mocked by Billy the school bully over the death of Troy and is threatened to get a package of pills from Troy’s room for him. Since Dean has no reason to care about Billy’s empty threat he goes along his way. Billy then concocts a plan to kidnap Deans younger brother Charlie only things go haywire when he takes the wrong kid.
That is what should be the heart of the movie but instead we’re treated to roughly four other subplot that go absolutely nowhere yet take up just as much time as the main plot. First there are Mr. and Mrs. Stiffle, one is a self-help book author that uses his kids as a way to get ideas for his books and the other is starting her own business of herbal vitamins who desperately tries to make her family like the ones seen on TV. Then there’s Troy’s mother trying to deal with the passing of her son. Lastly is Terri Bratley who’s about to marry Mayor Michael Ebbs who has a strange fascination with dolphins.
It’s hard to watch this and not notice the similarities it has with Donnie Darko, it has the same anti-social hero and the pretty girl next door character who likes him. Along with parents who just go about their busy day pretending to have a perfect life while ignoring reality entirely. But The Chumscrubber doesn’t have that mystique, that sense of never knowing exactly what’s happening on screen. Instead it will leave you more confused because it tries to make you look for a bigger picture that just isn’t there.
The story is interesting yet not compelling and at the same time is nothing we’ve never seen before on film. While the story is back and forth the actors are what will keep you in your seat watching to see what happens next. The film is filled with veteran of the craft such as Glenn Close and Ralph Fiennes along with a nice group of future talented actors in Jamie Bell (King Kong), Justin Chatwin (War of the Worlds) and Camilla Belle (When a Stranger Calls). And to honest with you, they’re the only real reason to see this movie.
For a movie about parents ignoring their kids the film maker apparently also forgot what the core of their film was while they were writing the screenplay. There are far too many subplots, the writers spend too much time trying to develop and establish a large cast of characters and in the process leave the lead in the movie no better than any of the countless other secondary roles. This overshadowing flaw in the movie leaves no emotional investment for the teens yet they’re who we’re suppose to be relating with.
A valiant effort by director Arie Posin but maybe he and writer Zac Stanford should have spent more time outlining and drafting the movie. Or perhaps the blame falls on the editor as the first and third act are enticing and engrossing but the second act just muddles up the story and interrupts the flow of the movie.
Score: 6/10
The Video
(Presented in 2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen)
As a low budget film The Chumscrubber by no means sets the bar for visual presentation, it’s pretty average with very few noticeable problems on the disc.
The Audio
(English Dolby Digital 5.1 & 2.0 Surround)
Thankfully the soundtrack which is one part of the movie done exceptionally well is finely represented through the speakers. For a relatively dialogue driven movie the rear speakers and bass are used steadily but generally only for when the music kicks in. James Horner’s musical score can be heard clearly throughout the entire movie.
The Extras
Feature Length Commentary – Writer Zac Stanford and co-writer/director Arie Posin sit down to comment on the movie and is rather bland for a DVD commentary. The two discuss their work on the movie but don’t state any important facts about the film itself. They basically brush everything off as a joke and rarely say anything worth listening to. And they don’t say a damn thing concerning what the dolphins are about.
Making The Chumscrubber (11:45) – This is just like every other “making-of” with the cast and crew giving their two cents on the film and their roles on the project. The director shares some of his thoughts on certain actors and why they were cast in their specific roles.
Deleted and Extended Scenes (14:24) – There are ten scenes in all and most are extended or alternate takes of scenes already in the movie. Just about all of them could have been added to the film to give it more depth, the filmmakers really should have reconsidered cutting these out.
Score: 3.5/10
