R.W.R.

Well with the wait until we are able to put out the Iron Man 2 podcast, I figured I would give you guys a nice look at a movie that went unnoticed.  Don't let the goofy name fool you as I did, The Chumscrubber is a decent film that touches on themes that aren't too deep but can get you thinking.  I initially thought this film would be some sort of Donnie Darko rehash but The Chumscrubber, while it does have some of that flavor, surprised me and taught me two lessons.  Do not judge a movie by its title and give any movie a shot, you may learn something.

Starring a great ensemble cast, directed and written by Arie Posin with the screenplay being written by Zac Stanford, The Chumscrubber was released in 2005. Being a dark comedy in a way, The Chumscrubber is a film that shows the dangers of prescription drugs in suburban life, the distinct lack of communication and understanding of parents, and the selfish nature of people.  The name Chumscrubber comes from a videogame character of the same name seen throughout the film.  He appears as a teenager who carries his decapitated head around with him as he fights evil in an eerily post-apocalyptic version of the suburban town the characters live in.

The film starts out with a teenage outcast named Dean Stifle (played by Jamie Bell), whom is addicted to anti-depressants, going over to his friend Troy's house.  We find out early on that Troy is also the local dealer of prescription medication to the kids at their high school.  After Troy's mother, Carrie (played by Glenn Close) lets Dean in while she is having a party; Dean discovers that his friend Troy has committed suicide by hanging himself in his room.  Being in utter shock over seeing his best friend's body, Dean leaves the house without telling anyone what he has found.

The story then goes on to show how Dean deals with his friend's death through drugs and his parents' oblivious nature to his plight.  Dean's father Bill (played by William Fichtner) is a psychiatrist whom writes about Dean in his books and even prescribes Dean more anti-depressants further adding to the problem. The theme of selfishness comes into play with Bill. Bill's only concern is over the gathering of more information from anyone to write more books and his quick fix to every problem with medication.  This brought me back to 1990's when Ritalin was being given to almost every child.

While at school, Dean comes into contact with an attractive girl named Crystal (played by Camilla Belle), she initially tells Dean of her friendship with Troy but this turns out to be a ruse.  Crystal's true intentions are to procure the rest of Troy's drug stash for her two friends, Billy and Lee, (played by Justin Chatwin and Lou Taylor Pucci).  Dean refuses to help, prompting Billy to form a plan to kidnap Dean's younger brother Charlie (played by Rory Culkin) in order to force Dean to cooperate.  After kidnapping the wrong Charlie, (this Charlie being played by Thomas Curtis) The Chumscrubber's story then gets more complicated as the lives of everyone involved and their parents begin to intertwine.  The lack of communication between parents and children comes into play with Charlie's mother Terri (played by Rita Wilson).  Terri is so concerned over her upcoming wedding to the mayor (played by Ralph Fiennes) of the town, that she doesn't notice her son is missing at all.  Terri's lack of communication is due to the fact that she simply "has a million things to do" and can't be bothered with anything else, fairly typical of mothers these days.
 
I enjoyed the simple complexity of the themes in this movie and the how the characters developed.  There was a good resolution to the story and did not leave you with a somber feeling as Donnie Darko did.  I saw much of the same society portrayed in this film as I did while I lived in Florida almost a year ago.  It made me realize that sometimes people are so self centered they miss out on things that are right in front of them, then regret it later.  Do yourself a favor and when you have the chance check out The Chumscrubber. Hopefully, you can take something away from this movie as I did.  Thank you Martin, for playing this film last night for me to watch, I enjoyed it.

3.5/5