{image1} Justin Cobb (Lou Pucci) can't find himself (but it ain't like he's not lookin'). In the span of his senior year of high school, the 17-year-old transforms himself from a shy, uninspired loner, to over-medicated, over-achieving debate team captain, and then back to pissy pot head in a desperate search for normalcy, whatever that may be.
Justin may not know what "normal" is, but he's pretty sure he doesn't fit the criteria. He still sucks his thumb, much to his parents' (Tilda Swinton and Vincent D'Onofrio) dismay, but then again, they aren't exactly the quintessential models of acceptable social behavior themselves. They don't even let their kids call them "mom" and "dad" because it makes them feel old.
If this description screams "classic coming-of-age drama" that's because, essentially, it is. But writer and director Mike Mills adds just enough maturity and quirky, dark humor to keep his directorial debut out of the clutches of cliché.
Justin's thumb sucking has long been a stress on his parents, but it's not until it acts as a roadblock in his own love life that he becomes desperate to kick the habit.
Enter Keanu Reeves as the face of desperation. As Dr. Barry Lyman, Justin's oddball orthodontist, and, apparently, his closest confidant, Reeves takes the film into a twisted realm of self-discovery. Admittedly, not everyone is capable of taking him seriously as an actor, and you don't know whether to laugh or groan when he appears on the screen with long, shaggy hair and a lab coat. But be patient. Mills intelligently works the awkward actor angle to his film's avant-garde advantage.
To no one one's surprise, Reeves' portrayal of the Zen-ed out dentist is as uncomfortable as ever, (he smokes during his appointments and has candles and incense burning in his office) but before you have a chance to get annoyed, you realize that, (brace yourself), he's perfect. The unconventional tone of the film has successfully created a realm for the weirdness that is Mr. Reeves to flourish. It's weird, but it works.
Dr. Lyman hypnotizes Justin to stop sucking his thumb and this, too, works. But with the freedom from one vice comes the addition of several more and he comes to realize that sucking his thumb was maybe the least of his, or his parents', concerns. Everything he's doing to try to compensate for his inability to fit in is in fact making his life even more stressful and alienating him even further. Whether it's drugs (doctor prescribed and otherwise), girls, competition or academic achievement, he still can't seem to feel anything more than temporary satisfaction.
Despite its teenager-versus-the-world plot, the film is surprisingly unpredictable and smart. Pucci is impressively dynamic as he slides in and out of various personality types, never losing sight of the heart of his character. Tilda Swinton and Vincent D'Onofrio are wonderful as his parents who, by their very nature, prove that wisdom doesn't always come with age. Sure, there are moments that might provoke the phrase "artsy fartsy," (a few slow-motion scenes, things ironically falling from the sky, a la "Donnie Darko") but overall, it's a very enjoyable film that keeps a solid focus.
"Thumbsucker" opens Friday, Oct. 7 at Landmark's Oriental Theatre.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
