Thumbsucker (2005)

Brief: Seventeen year old Justin Cobb (Lou Pucci) attempts to quit sucking his thumb with the help of his hippie orthodontist, Perry (Keanu Reeves), and, later, Ritalin. His earnest desire for change creates chaos in the world around him, particularly for his mother, Audrey (Tilda Swinton), a nurse who has taken a position in a rehab clinic for celebrities; his father, Mike (Vincent D’Onofrio), a former footballer who is now the manager of a sporting goods store; his debate teacher, Mr. Geary (Vince Vaughn); and his little brother, Joel (Chase Offerle).

I know that’s not the most tidy plot description I have ever written, but I had a hard time fitting everyone’s names in there. In fact, I had a hard time figuring out where to go after the first sentence. There’s also some business with Benjamin Bratt, who plays a TV celebrity that gets checked into Audrey’s rehab centre, and with whom Justin believes her to be in love.

One of the benefits of writing these reviews for my pleasure instead of as a job is that fact that I don’t have to read the book before hand. Have you ever read a review of an adaptation that didn’t compare the movie to the book and find fault with it? I doubt it. But here I am, trucking along, blissfully unaware of Walter Kirn’s novel. I understand that Justin’s got some incestuous feelings towards Audrey in the book that don’t come across in the movie, which is fine by me. There’s a lot going on anyway.

So, you know how when you usually see Reeves in a movie, you are laughing? At his “acting”? Because if there was a town called Woodenville, Reeves would be the mayor, the sheriff, the judge, the prosecutor, and any other job they needed him to do. What I’m saying here is that he’s a bit wooden up there on the screen. One might call him “lifeless.” So when a movie trilogy like those Matrix thingies came along, it seemed like a perfect match for Reeves. All he had to do act confused, be three steps behind everyone else, and “know kung fu.” Boy, howdy, can Reeves handle those three.

Imagine, if you will, that there was a part out there that was even more tailored to Reeves. Someone was going to let him on the joke. Someone was going to make his flat line readings and his ability to stare into the middle distance work for him. And, quite suddenly, you are marvelling over his light comedic touch and deadpan delivery. You are laughing because he is being funny! Congratulations! You, your imagination, Walter Kirn, and writer/direction Mike Mills have made your dream come true.

I know I should be praising Pucci’s star turn, or writing about how D’Onforio is amazing, or about how I’ve always wanted a movie with the two Vinces together (for I have), or talking about how Offerle is awesome, but Reeves really deserves that much attention.

So, yeah, Pucci. Go forth with thunder, kid. This is your sophomore outing, and the world in now your oyster. I’m going to spend the next week laughing over the idea of Justin screaming “POWER ANIMAL” or chastising his mom with, “I come home to celebrate, and you can’t tell me about the celebrities you work with?!”

So I didn’t get the dream sequences or why the movie ended with that completely unnecessary money scene or why it looked like it was set in the 1970s or, to be honest, Tilda Swinton. We’re cool. B