So I went and saw Thumbsucker today. Maybe I'm not the intended audience. I thought it was absolutely horrible. I mean horrible even beyond independent films. I've liked some independent films too. I can't say I'm an expert when it comes to the indies but I enjoyed Napoleon Dynamite and Abra Los Ojos. But this movie was horrible.
For those that don't know, it stars that guy, Vincent Dinofrio, from Law & Order: Criminal Intent, at first I thought that he was just a decent actor on Law & Order, but then he played the same character in this movie, just without the detective schtick...Creepy is the only way to describe the way this guy acts. It also stars Vince Vaugn as a debate coach who is looking for the acceptance of his students, even buying them alcohol and letting the boys and girls sleep together in the same hotel room. Finally, it stars Keannu Reeves, as a hippie Orthodontist, who dabbles in the spiritual realm, calling on his spirit animal and hypnotizing our main character.
The movie is about a boy who sucks his thumb. His father, Vince Dinofrio, belittles him, but it's just because he's unsure of himself and his life and his marriage. The main character visits his orthodontist quite often. Until one day...when Keanu Reeves hypnotizes him into thinking his thumb tastes like echinacea. The kid goes crazy without his safety blanket of thumbsucking until he is diagnosed with ADD. Then he replaces one addiction with another (Ritalin) and becomes a debate genius because of the meds. He goes overboard on those, realizes what its doing to him and then decides he wants to smoke weed to make up for that obsession. By the end of the movie, the kid makes peace with his family, Keannu and everyone and takes off for college. On the plane he starts to suck his thumb while he is sleeping only to wake up and find a girl in his row staring at him. But this time, she accepts him for who he is and doesn't try to change him...
So the message is very thinly veiled somewhere in there. I think the movie had something to do with accepting yourself for who you are, flaws and all. Or maybe it was not to listen to people that disagree with you and seek out people who will accept you for who you are. I donno. The message was lost on me somewhere in the last 45 minutes when the dialogue became mind-numbling boring.
Anyone else see this movie? What was your take? Am I just not enough of an artist to appreciate this film?
Top
