Rating: R
Genre:
Comedy Drama
Theatrical Release: 09/16/2005(USA
Release Date: 01/24/2006
SubTitles: French
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: DD5.0/DS
Run Time: 96 Minutes
Flags: Adult Situations, Adult Humor, Profanity, Sexual Situations, Drug Content, Alcohol Consumption
Distributor/Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
A high-school senior finds that fate (and modern medicine) plays some interesting tricks with his personality in this dramatic
comedy.
Justin Conn (
Lou Taylor Pucci) is a neurotic teenager who has a difficult time with his peers, especially
Rebecca (
Kelli Garner), a cute girl in his debate class with whom he is somewhat mutually infatuated. It isn't much better at home with his obnoxious younger brother Joel (
Chase Offerle), his father,
Mike (
Vincent D'Onofrio), who is busy having a midlife crisis, and mother
Audrey (
Tilda Swinton), who's infatuated with one of her favorite TV actors (
Benjamin Bratt). All this anxiety has to go somewhere, and
Justin's manifestation of his troubles comes in the form of sucking his thumb, which makes him even more of an outcast.
Dr. Perry Lyman (
Keanu Reeves), an orthodontist who seems to double as a new age therapist, treats
Justin with hypnosis; meanwhile, the school psychologist decides he has Attention Deficit Disorder, and treats him with medication. Suddenly,
Justin stops sucking his thumb and becomes an outgoing overachiever, single-handedly taking his school debate team to the state championship. But Justin's relationshop with his debate coach,
Mr. Geary (
Vince Vaughn), becomes strained, and the boy tries to mold yet another new identity for himself.
Thumbsucker was the first feature film from
Mike Mills, who previously distinguished himself in commercials and music videos.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide