Review of The Chumscrubber (2005) by Twiggy W — 19 Jul 2009
Some would argue that this movie is meant to lampoon poor parenting skills but what I think this movie actually lampoons are poor life kills in general, which includes parenting but also includes coping and comunicating.
After said loner teen discovers his friends body the community kind of dips into an overall wave of indifference. When the dead boy's drug stash becomes the object of some teen hoodlums affections, all hell breaks loose.
.. but in a way that none of the adults seem to notice. An innocent boy is kidnapped and the tension mounts from nonexistent to pretty heavy through the course of the movie: after a while it becomes apparent that the child's life is in danger.
But, with a memorial service and a wedding occuring at the same time, it is impossible for the adults of the town to notice the brewing trouble. What I really liked about this movie was its shapr focus on drug usage.
Not just illegally but for regular purposes... like battling depression. In one darkly comical scene, the loner boy's father takes solace in the fact that his son effortlessly swallowed the pills he handed him, oblivious to the fact that his son is a pill popping fiend right under his nose.
By the time the conclusion rolls around, there is a sense of comfort in seeing the "good" people get what they deserve. An all star cast helps to propell this story forward but in the end it is Jamie Bell who steals the thunder from everyone else.
Well, that and a gruesome knife scene that would be right at home in a slasher movie...
This review of The Chumscrubber (2005) was written by Twiggy W on 19 Jul 2009.
The Chumscrubber has generally received positive reviews.
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