Unreal Movie Vault: Thumbsucker (2005)

As this site has grown and developed over the past year or so, I’ve really enjoyed writing reviews for lesser-known independent and foreign films.  Living in New York, I get to see a lot of those types in limited release, but thanks to Netflix, I’m able to catch up on the ones I may have missed over the years.  What I like best about reviewing them, though, is the chance to hear feedback and opinions from others who have seen the movies.  That’s kind of what the Movie Vault has become, and I’m willing to sit through a unique movie and review it if only to see if some of our readers may have seen it and can see things in the film that I may have missed.  Anyway, the most recent movie I’ve seen – and a perfect candidate for the Vault – is Mike Mills’ first full-length feature, Thumbsucker.  Keep reading for the full review; there will be spoilers.

Thumbsucker is the story of a teenager named Justin and his addiction to thumb-sucking, as well as the impact his shameful habit has on his social life and his family.  His ex-jock father, Mike (played by Vincent D’Onofrio), is understandably disapproving of his son’s habit, and goes so far as to call him “pathetic.”  Justin’s mother, Audrey (Tilda Swinton) is much more compassionate with regard to the thumb-sucking, but this doesn’t stop Justin from addressing her as “Audrey” in addition to calling his dad “Mike.”  To make things even worse for Justin, his little brother has zero respect for him and even at a young age, is far more sociable.  Being a teenager in high school is difficult enough, but throw in the fact that Justin has a humiliating addiction and it’s downright impossible.

Aside from his parents, the other people in Justin’s life are his debate teacher (played by Vince Vaughn), his hippie, spiritual orthodontist Perry (played by Keanu Reeves), and his crush, Rebecca.  All three see potential in Justin, but along with his dark secret, Justin is as awkward as a high school loser you will find.

No matter how hard he tries, Justin simply can’t quit his addiction to thumb-sucking, increasing the gap between him and his father.  Mike eventually gets fed up with his son’s habit, and so he writes his initials in pen on Justin’s thumb.  But it’s not until Justin’s orthodontist confronts him about his thumb-sucking habit – he can tell from working on Justin’s teeth – that Justin is able to quit.  At first, I didn’t buy Reeves at all as an orthodontist; he was essentially Ted again (from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure), just with latex gloves.  But once it was established that this orthodontist was indeed supposed to be a stoner/hippie type, it worked quite well.  Unfortunately, certain scenes involving Reeves were laughably bad, especially when you watch his performance right after watching Tilda Swinton and Vincent D’Onofrio, two excellent actors in their own right.

Anyhow, Perry views himself as more than just Justin’s orthodontist.  Justin allows Perry to hypnotize him, and during the process, Justin finds his “power animal,” a sort of spiritual guide that will keep him from being lonely and, perhaps more importantly, prevent him from sucking on his thumb again.  It works – sort of – and Justin no longer has the desire to suck his thumb.  However, something feels “off” for Justin, and before long, he’s prescribed a psychoactive drug (most likely Adderall or Ritalin).  A new addiction begins and Justin’s life changes drastically.  For the first time, he can concentrate and focus, and he can use his intelligence to dominate debate.  An arrogance arises inside of Justin, changing his relationships with his family, Rebecca, his debate teacher, and, of course, Perry, the man who started it all.

The cast alone is reason enough to give Thumbsucker a chance.  Swinton and D’Onofrio are predictably great, and Lou Taylor Pucci (Justin) shows that he can convincingly portray an awkward loser as well as a motivated competitor.  Vince Vaughn is fine as Justin’s debate coach – especially when he’s joking around – but it’s sometimes tough to take him seriously during some of the more dramatic scenes.  And like I mentioned above, Keanu Reeves may have been a little too perfect in the role of Perry, as the role seems almost like a caricature of Reeves himself.  It’s still entertaining, though, and for that, I suppose forgivable.  Finally, Benjamin Bratt has a cameo that’s both memorable and well-acted, and he in fact brings quite a bit to the table.

At its heart, Thumbsucker is a movie about addiction, and it turns out that Justin isn’t the only person with an addiction problem.  In fact, the film seems to suggest that everyone has an addiction in one form or another, be it thumb-sucking, drugs, or the thrill of raising a teenage son.  Interestingly, the movie seems to trivialize the diagnosis of ADHD, but at the same time seems to portray psychoactive drugs in a somewhat favorable light.  I’m not sure that these messages are entirely consistent, but if I were to try and explain it, I’d say that one of the film’s messages is that the symptoms of ADHD are so vague that they encompass just about anyone, but at the same time, these psychoactive drugs can be beneficial for anyone.

Finally, for a debut film, Thumbsucker is memorable, but it could ultimately use some polishing.  Some of the scenes seem unintentionally funny, but it’s never really established that Thumbsucker is a dark comedy.  I imagine that the novel on which this movie was based has a more distinct tone, and the adaptation itself must have been a difficult process.  Where I think Mills shines is when he uses music during scenes to tell a story (as opposed to dialogue), and his choice of music reminded me somewhat of Richard Kelly’s selections in Donnie Darko.  Thumbsucker is by no means a great film, but the eccentric cast and unique story certainly make it worth watching

3.5 out of 5 stars