Chumscrubber [DVD] [2005]: Amazon.co.uk: Ralph Fiennes, Rory Culkin, Thomas Curtis, Josh Janowicz, John Heard, Jamie Bell, Rita Wilson, Glenn Close, William Fichtner, Camilla Belle, Justin Chatwin, Lou Taylor Pucci, Arie Posin: DVD

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In this darkly humorous parody of high school life in suburbia, in the vein of DONNIE DARKO and HEATHERS, Dean (Jamie Bell) is beside himself when two of his best friends wind up dead--and nobody in the selfishly aloof world around him seems to notice, or care.

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14 Reviews

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3.2 out of 5 stars (14 customer reviews)

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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "I have a million things to do today!", 14 Jan 2006

By	M. J Leonard "MikeonAlpha" (Silver Lake, Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Chumscrubber [DVD] [2007] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)

Suburban malaise, teenage angst, and general family dysfunction is at the center of Chumscrubber, a darkly ironic and incongruous film that explores our often-times skewed middleclass values, our obsession with materialism, and the over-reliance on prescription drugs to medicate children, when perhaps all they really need is someone to talk to.

It's a beautifully acted film, and has a terrific screenplay, and there's also lots of oddball characters thrown into the mix, but some viewers may find Chumscrubber a little to self-important and self conscious for it's own good. Adults act like selfish children; children act like egotistical adults, and self-obsession and miscommunication seems to be de rigor in this world of prefabricated suburbia.

Dean (a wonderful Jamie Bell) is a reclusive thoughtful teenager, whose life is turned upside down when he discovers that his best friend Troy (Josh Janowicz), the school drug supplier has hung himself. Anxious to get their hands on his hidden stash, a group of kids at school decide to blackmail Dean by planning to kidnap his younger brother, Charlie (Rory Culkin).

Billy (Justin Chatwin), Crystal (Camilla Belle), and Lee (Lou Taylor Pucci) hopefully will be able force Dean to come up with the drugs; the problem is that they kidnap the wrong Charlie (Thomas Curtis). Meanwhile, Terri (Rita Wilson) Charlie's an obnoxious interior designer mother, is just so focused on her upcoming remarriage to Michael, (Ralph Fiennes) the town's increasingly wimpy mayor that she doesn't notice her child is missing.

But Dean has problems of his own: plagued with grief over his best friend's death, he keeps taking prescription drugs forced on him by his pop-psychiatrist Dr. Phil-like father (William Fichtner), whose self-help book empire is threatened by Dean's pathological lack of interest. His self-obsessed mother (Allison Janney) is also hectically running her own show, too busy peddling her own new age vitamin supplement business, and is oblivious to Dean's problems.

Carrie, the mother of Troy (Glenn Close) wanders the neighborhood in a daze, returning dishes, madness blooming in her eyes, but no one bothers to reach out to her. Terri's wedding is planned for the same time that Carrie has scheduled her son's memorial, thus dividing the cul-de-sac neighbors over which event to attend. And Officer Lou Bratley (John Heard) is planning ways to disrupt that wedding and get Terri back, whilst Jerri (Carrie-Ann Moss) is trying to stay young by flirting with her daughter's friends; and Mayor Michael tries desperately to connect spiritually with the world around him.

It's all terribly dysfunctional as director Arie Posin manages to walk a fine line between satire and serious drama. But Chumscrubber works, and whilst the acidic comments on suburban life are nothing new, the film has an edgy, and darkly mordant humour that saves it from mediocrity. Tribute must also be given to Posin's talent as a director that he can assemble such a fine cast – all the actors perform magnificently, a deft mixture of the oddly amusing and the darkly touching. Mike Leonard January 06.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Who could call this a life?, 23 Feb 2007

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Chumscrubber [DVD] [2007] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)

Of all the dramedies about suburbia's dark side, "The Chumscrubber" has to be the one... with the absolute worst title.

But fortunately almost everything else about the movie is good. Arie Posen's first full-length movie does manage to be jaded without being heartless, dark without being self-conscious. Instead it's morbidly funny -- few movies can make drugs, kidnapping and mental collapse seem so entertaining.

Dean (Jamie Bell) visits his drug-dealing pal Troy for some Prozac -- and finds Troy hanging from a noose. He simply walks out of the house, past a house-party full of adults. There's no point in telling them, because everyone around him is too preoccupied.

In the days that follow, Troy is tormented by his classmates, and by his psychoanalytical dad, who is trying to make him feel grief against his will. But things take a nasty turn when school thug Billy (Justin Chatwin) demands that Dean turn over all of Troy's drugs... which he doesn't have. So he kidnaps Dean's little brother... except he gets the wrong kid.

Instead, Billy has kidnapped the future stepson of the town mayor. Now Billy is threatening to kill the kid unless Dean turns over the drugs. Sooner or later, someone is going to go looking for him. Things come to a head at a wedding and a funeral -- fights will break out, confessions will be made, and the kidnapping erupts into violence that disrupts both the wedding and the funeral.

Normally mental breakdowns and kidnappings aren't funny at all, but Arie Posen manages to make them seem that way. "The Chumscrubber" is full of weird, frighteningly plausible events like wedding-obsessed Terri failing to notice that her son is missing, or the kidnapped Charlie swimming with his kidnappers.

Most of the movie is a buildup, with the various people running around in their little bubbles, oblivious to everybody else -- even to amoral teens kidnapping little kids. The dialogue is deliciously wry and warped ("I don't think you're crazy." "You know, there are several major book chains that would be willing to disagree with you on that point...").

With a movie this cynica, it's surprising that he final half hour is even a bit heartwarming. But it is, when Dean finally faces up to how he felt about Troy, talks to Troy's increasingly fragile mother, and karma catches up to certain people. And Posen manages it without losing that sense of twisted irony.

The cast of characters aren't quite stereotypes, but they're definitely offbeat -- the kindly seductress, the dolphin-obsessed mayor, the mom obsessed with a "perfect" family and a little brother who pours powdered pills into food. But the best one here is Bell -- his numb, prickly acting is excellent, and he is nothing short of brilliant when he finally breaks down in his bedroom -- hallucinating about Troy.

Dark, twisted and bizarre, "The Chumscrubber" is a truly hilarious dramedy about disconnected living. Just ignore that awful title.

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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Satire at its finest, 3 Feb 2008

By	Braw Loon (Bonny Scotland) - See all my reviews

The other review that there currently is for this film is absolutely scathing. This film would not be to everyones taste but why not give it at least 2 stars and admit that it did have something. A one star review is enough to cool anyone's interest.
This is a superb film. It is quite stylistic, which is all part of its satirircal look at shallow upper class values and living. It takes a while for the humour to kick-in but with a lot less effort than a lot of art-house cinema it isn't too long before the storyline gets compelling.
Its got a lot of soul too as much as it is satirical as one or two of the many characters find a little redemption while for others their downward spiral is wickedly funny.
Even if this film is doing what has been done before, which I'm not well-versed enough to categorically comment on - there must always be room for an imitation as good as this.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Do Not Ignore Me
The Chumscuber, "who can call this a life". Behind this film is a good look at our loyalty, to our lives of meaningful existence, or none. Read more

Published 1 month ago by words with wonder

5.0 out of 5 stars May the VeggieForce be with you
Dean is a withdrawn teen living in a wealthy suburb where his only friend is Troy, his drug dealer. When Troy dies, a school bully kidnaps Dean's little brother to force him to... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Kona

5.0 out of 5 stars Yeah!
So, a lot of previous reviews seem to be saying things like "Oh wow, yet another film about upper class Americans etc etc overmedicated etc etc". Read more

Published 12 months ago by M. Healy

2.0 out of 5 stars Another Movie About Highly-Medicated Suberbia
There's good reason for The Chumscrubber being imediately released on DVD as opposssed to a cinematic release. Read more

Published 16 months ago by willow

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than I thought
This is like Donnie Darko, and they've tried to be like Donnie Darko (slow squeaky cover version and everything). Read more

Published 16 months ago by Mr. Richard I. Calvert

1.0 out of 5 stars The Chumscrubber Review
The Chumscrubber was a huge disappointment... the acting was very obvious: the characters all appeared to have stepped out of a high school drama club (yes it was that bad). Read more

Published 18 months ago by -

2.0 out of 5 stars oh dead
i brought this film based on an advert but all the way through the film i found it just confusing and weird! all in all i think think the film is just pointless! Read more

Published 18 months ago by victoria Fountain

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive indie head-trip
The Cumscrubber's plot is far from simple: When a popular high school drug dealer hangs himself, it's up to Jamie Bell to continue his legacy after a bunch of 'cool kids' kidnap a... Read more

Published 19 months ago by D. Jackson

1.0 out of 5 stars rubbish
i agree with the previous 1 star review. the reason i'm giving this a 1 star review is because that's what it deserves. Read more

Published 21 months ago by Fraser Simpson

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor at best
I am only 35 minutes into this film and i have lost all interest.
The script is appalling and character development is non-existent. Read more

Published 23 months ago by D. Kinsella

› See all 14 customer reviews...

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