The late, great Gene Siskel once described a great film as one containing 'three great scenes and no bad scenes. ' Solid overall, containing outstanding scenes to distinguish it above the rest of the pack.
What would Siskel would make of writer-director Mike Mills' 'Thumbsucker'? It is a curious, moody coming-of-age dramedy which boasts a superb cast, an engaging lead performance and a handful of wry satiric observations. Technically it has no bad scenes, and two of its scenes are genuinely hysterical.
Despite its aesthetic competence, the film is a fuzzy mishmash of stray subplots and intriguing set ups that either perish as half-baked ideas or are whimsically drawn out into predictability.
At least a dozen of the film's scenes, despite Mills' skillfully understated writing, feel like they've been spliced in from other films where they worked in a completely different context. Mills tackles a lot of issues here'teenage rebellion, society's rising tendency to overmedicate, high school's overwhelming emphasis on achievement'and does it pretty well, but ultimately bites off more than he can chew.
The titular thumbsucker is Justin (Lou Pucci), a meek, 17-year-old social outcast whose embarrassing habit of sucking his thumb during stressful situations has made him an outsider. His distant father (Vincent D'Onofrio) and sympathetic, beleaguered mother (Tilda Swinton) try a variety of solutions to quash this habit before settling on Ritalin to treat Justin's supposed ADHD.
The Ritalin seems to do the trick, transforming Justin from an orally fixated, awkward teen into an overachieving debate team dynamo persuasively arguing the merits of TV violence. In the midst of this, Justin also discovers sex and its emotional repercussions, starts hitting the reefer like a champ and suspects his mother of having an affair with a cheesy celebrity (Benjamin Bratt).
Keanu Reeves shows up toward the beginning as a New Age orthodontist who attempts hypnosis on Justin in one of 'Thumbsucker's' major highlights.
Once again, Reeves has fun with a role and mocks his own post-hippie slacker persona flawlessly. Conversely, Vince Vaughn plays against type as Justin's pressuring debate coach, admirably dialing down his shtick for once to seemingly reiterate his range to those who've becoming accustomed to the outrageous, raucous Vaughn of 'Old School' and 'Wedding Crashers.' D'Onofrio and Swinton connect as Justin's parents, and Pucci, who's already won various acting prizes for his compelling central performance, makes an auspicious debut.
But when all's been said and done, 'Thumbsucker' doesn't gel. Mills, who has directed a number of music videos, suffers from a common indie affliction: trying to include too much in a first film because it may very well be the director's one and only movie.
Ironically, Mills' lack of focus is partially to his advantage'it allows him to showcase his dark, sublime comic sensibility, but it doesn't get across a streamlined statement about anything in particular. No matter how adept his individual scenes, Mills has no idea how to combine them into a satisfying final product, and his method of stringing together everything with a morose, repetitive montage doesn't cut it.
'Thumbsucker' is a frustrating near-miss with flashes of brilliance thanks to performers typically known for their lack of it. While Mills doesn't show the ruthless, satirical eye of Alexander Payne or the uncompromising viciousness of Todd Solondtz, he is not without promise.
If we end up hearing more from Mills, 'Thumbsucker' may obtain a cult following; if not, it's at least worth a rental for the hysterical Benjamin Bratt scene.
