Review of Thumbsucker (2005) by Allen G — 22 May 2013

Another indie film that's too heavy on cliches and not really willing enough to stand out from its counterparts. Despite this, it has a strong cast, interesting script and enough intelligence to make it worth watching.

Pucci's character did little for me and this damaged the experience a fair bit- when you have a film based around a character that isn't as interesting and dynamic as the characters around them then you are going to be pretty frustrated. His performance was good though but I just didn't like where he went with the character and the odds were against him with his character being the weakest in the script in my view.

There was lots going on around him though- his parents in particular I found interesting and Reeves' character certainly had me scratching my head. The plot lines never felt real to me- this one is three other films put into one- I'd name them but I can't remember the names, mostly because they weren't particularly memorable films. The subtleties are what makes this one though and I think that comes from the performances and general feel of the film. For me its a film that's basics are bad- it really shouldn't manage to develop into somethign worth-watching but this one certainly does. it's leaves me with that curiosity in my mind, its a specific feeling I get from indie films, its difficult to explain but this film is smart and interesting enough to leave me with it. The magic in this one is that it seems to want to be a teen coming-of-age movie and, for me anyway, it failed in that respect, and yet, there's enough elsewhere to make this film good- the world is interesting in this film even if many elements of the film aren't. It made for a strange viewing but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's almost an accidental success.