"Thumbsucker" Review

Mary's Review

I saw this movie when it first came out in 2005, and I have been a big fan ever since. This film was so much fun to watch; I was constantly surprised by the characters and the unpredictable plot. Just when I thought the movie was a coming of age film, I changed my mind and thought it was more of a comedy, then I thought it might be a romance, then I thought it was more of a teen angst movie, and by the end, I was only sure that I loved it!

For such a small independent film that most people have never heard of, the cast is phenomenal! The lead is played by a new young actor named Lou Taylor Pucci, who was also in the movie The Chumscrubber (see my review). In this film, Pucci is so great at the comedy, and he effortlessly made me sad for his character, as well as inspired. The rest of the cast was amazing, but I think Pucci's performance is what made Thumbsucker so great.

Simply, Thumbsucker is about a teen who sucks his thumb to relieve stress and attempts to break his habbit. This is such an honest portrayal of the world from a teenager's perspective. This movie is very funny, intelligent, sexy, sympathetic, thoughtful, and eye-opening. Vince Vaughn plays the crazy teacher, Tilda Swinton plays the mom, Vincent D'Nofrio plays the dad, Kelli Garner is the cute girl, Benjamin Bratt is a messed up celebrity, and Keanu Reeves is fantastic as the creepy, yet wise dentist.

Basically, if you have a family or have ever been a teenager, you should see Thumbsucker. Seriously, I hope you get a chance to cuddle up under some warm blankets and relax with Thumbsucker. Please come back to leave your own review!

General Information

• Directed by Mike Mills.
• Based on the 1999 novel by Walter Kirn.
• Official movie site http://www.sonyclassics.com/thumbsucker/
• Recieved 3 wins and 4 nominations (including an award from the Sundance Film Festival!)
• Listen to the soundtrack for free. The music is rhetro, ironic, and upbeat.
• Watch the Thumbsucker trailer below.

Peer Reviews

"Quirky doesn't begin to describe this eccentric and funny dip into the bizarro-world psyche of adolescence, marked by neck-breaking turns of character in teenagers and adults alike" -by Jim Slotek (from Rotten Tomatoes)

"In its own sneaky way, the film cleverly manages to examine the meaning of loneliness while looking at dysfunctional-family dynamics, but without becoming too overwhelming or too heavy-handed." - by Jeff Vice (from Rotten Tomatoes)

"Its great strength lies in its characters, all of whom are constantly surprising the viewer by not being what they seem" -by Ken Hanke (from Rotten Tomatoes)

"The way Mills gives every character the chance to surprise us turns what could have been just another tale of teen suburban angst into something special" -Rob Thomas (from Rotten Tomatoes)

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