The Chumbscrubber (2005)
"The Chumbscrubber" is often like
an "Afterschool Special" about the evils of pharmaceuticals
in modern suburban life. But often it seems more aimed
at adults than the teenagers. Like the numerous other
suburban angst films out there including "The Safety
of Objects," and others, this film feels like a watered-down
version of Solondz, Haynes, and Aronofsky. After "Donnie
Darko," "The Ice Storm" and a dozen other films of
this nature, the well seems to be running dry on good
ideas. Likening the story to a video game might make
such a film new and original, but filmmaker Arie Posin
can't seem to make it work.
Jamie Bell is awfully cute and we
get to see him in his boxers a couple times here but
it doesn't happen often enough to make it worth the
price of admission. Bell has been doing his share
of indie work since his debut in "Billy Elliot" a
few years ago and, having grown up, gets to play teenagers
on the verge of adulthood pretty regularly now. He
does a fine job of it here too. You probably couldn't
ask for a better performer for your film if you were
an indie director casting a young teenage male in
a suburban angst drama and get Jamie Bell to do your
film.
His young co-stars are equally cute
and equally adept. Acting is definitely not the problem
here. Even the adults are fleshed out by some consummate
actors. Glenn Close, Allison Janney, Ralph Fiennes,
and John Heard appear in major roles in the film.
No, indeed, acting is not the problem here. (Although
with Close having been in "The Safety of Object" and
Janney having been in "American Beauty," there is
a feeling of redundancy here).
The problem is the homogenized yet
preachy and pedantic script by Posin and Zac Stanford,
and the lackluster direction. "The Chumbscrubber"
wants to be edgy, dark and angst-ridden and instead
seems contrived, forced and (shit, I already used
pedantic didn't I) smug. Posin wants you to think
that he is making some brilliant, moralistic, important
film here with a message that shows just how much
he knows about how horrifying life is in modern upper-middle
class suburbia. Trouble is, anyone who has been looking
at independent cinema the last few years knows just
what a sham Posin and his film really is. It's a Xerox
copy of a dozen other films as much as anything else.
But, sigh, at least there's Bell
to look at and swoon over.
Notes:
Also with Lou Taylor Pucci (who
is the star of Mike Mills' Sundance hit due out soon
"Thumbsucker"), Justin Chatwin (of "War of the Worlds"),
Rory Culkin (wasted in a minor role), Camilla Belle,
Carrie Anne Moss and Rita Wilson.
Lawrence Bender is on of the producers.
The film debuted at Sundance in
2005 and began an arthouse run later that year in
the summer.
Viewed at the Dobie in Austin in
August of 2005.
