There's one born every minute

Our rating:

We’re all addicted to something. Whether it’s that morning coffee, rebuilding car engines or knitting, there’s sure to be something in our lives that we can’t do without. Of course, those addictions are viewed benignly by society, while others (like drugs) are not. In that context then, Mike Mills’ debut feature Thumbsucker is a timely if modest look at the everyday addictions that drive us.

Mills’ film evokes that hyper-real style that fuelled films like American Beauty, and while this effort doesn’t quite soar to those heights, it still has an engaging quirkiness and a real affection for its subjects.

I recently read a piece on this film that criticised it for not being a realistic depiction of life in the suburbs. That’s a bit like criticising Harry Potter for not being a realistic depiction of life in an English boarding school. The point of the film is the characters, not the setting.

Mills, who wrote the script from Walter Kim’s novel, does a great job in giving us both interesting and (at least in some cases) fully developed characters. These are real people, with real problems; even if they’re dealt with in a slightly off-beat way.

Justin Cobb (Lou Taylor Pucci) is a shy, self-conscious teenager who – at 17 – still sucks his thumb. His parents Mike (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Audrey (Tilda Swinton) are at their wits’ end trying to break the habit. Justin finds some limited help from Perry (Keanu Reeves), a New Age orthodontist; but he serves mostly to complicate the situation. Justin tries to gain some confidence by joining the school’s debating club, where he happens to be attracted to the talented Rebecca (Kelli Garner). But the debating teacher, Mr Geary (Vince Vaughn) has a take-no-prisoners attitude that undermines any progress Justin makes. Then a school counsellor suggests Justin may have ADHD – and a breakthrough ensues.

The story is actually a lot more complex than the above brief outline can convey, as all the characters have their own dilemmas. Mike, for example (who insists that his son call him by his first name because “Dad” makes him feel old) still struggles with the idea that he could have played pro football but for an injury. Audrey has a crush on a TV star (Benjamin Bratt) and enters competitions to meet him; and Perry is a lost soul searching for answers in all the wrong places. Ultimately, the film’s message that we all have to find our own way in the world is pretty trite, but it provides an interesting journey in getting there.

It also asks some hard questions about our approach to addictions in general, and drugs in particular. It doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but at least it has the guts to confront issues so often dealt with in a perfunctory manner in popular culture.

Lou Taylor Pucci is terrific as Justin. Mind you, this was only his second movie role (after appearing in Personal Velocity), and his relative inexperience rather suits the insecure protagonist. But while he’s the core of the film, the supporting cast add considerable colour and texture. Vincent D’Onofrio and Tilda Swinton are excellent as Justin’s parents; while Vince Vaughn goes solidly against his usual comic grain as the comparatively restrained Geary. The film’s real highlight though is the performance of Keanu Reeves, who makes a major impact in what is really quite a minor role.

For anyone who’s ever felt like they’re on the outside looking in, Thumbsucker will hold plenty of relevance. This is a more than solid directorial effort from Mills. Although there are a couple of missteps along the way, Thumbsucker proves to be an engaging and often insightful trip into the troubled world of teens.

David Edwards

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Thumbsucker

Director: Mike Mills
Cast: Lou Taylor Pucci, Tilda Swinton, Vincent D'Onofrio, Vince Vaughn and Keanu Reeves
DVD release: 26 April 2006
Rated: M