Thumbsucker (2005)
GROWING UP IS A BATTLE
U.S. Release Date
Sep 16, 2005
Rotten Tomatoes
🍅 70%
Audience Score
🍿 71%
Official Synopsis
Justin Cobb (Lou Taylor Pucci) is an introverted 17-year-old in suburban Oregon who still sucks his thumb, much to the chagrin of his father (Vincent D'Onofrio) and the mild concern of his mother (Tilda Swinton). After his "guru" orthodontist (Keanu Reeves) uses hypnosis to break the habit, Justin’s world shifts. He navigates ADHD diagnoses, prescription pills, and high school debate team success, only to realize that solving the surface habit doesn't erase the underlying anxiety of being human.
Production Dossier
Financials
Budget: $3 Million
Box Office: $2.14 Million
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Technical Specs
Cinematography: Joaquín Baca-Asay
Original Novel: Walter Kirn
Runtime: 96 Minutes
Cast & Crew
- Director/Writer: Mike Mills
- Starring: Lou Taylor Pucci, Tilda Swinton, Vincent D'Onofrio, Keanu Reeves, Kelli Garner, Vince Vaughn, Benjamin Bratt
Primary Filming Locations
• Tualatin High School, Oregon: Used for the majority of the high school sequences.
• Portland Metropolitan Area: Filmed in Beaverton, Sherwood, Vernonia, and Tigard.
• New York University (NYU): The final scene was shot on location in New York City.
• Trillium Lake, Oregon: A location used for various outdoor suburban Oregon scenes.
• Portland Metropolitan Area: Filmed in Beaverton, Sherwood, Vernonia, and Tigard.
• New York University (NYU): The final scene was shot on location in New York City.
• Trillium Lake, Oregon: A location used for various outdoor suburban Oregon scenes.
Fun Facts
- Incentive Win: The production originally planned to shoot in Vancouver, BC, but moved to Oregon after the state offered a tax rebate to match Canadian filming costs.
- Indie Soundtrack: The film features a notable score and songs from Elliott Smith and The Polyphonic Spree, which director Mike Mills used to balance the film's "manic" and "depressive" emotional beats.
- Award Winning Debut: Lou Taylor Pucci won the Special Jury Prize for Acting at the Sundance Film Festival for his lead performance.
Original Review (Jan 26, 2006)
Growing up is hard.....seriously.
That's pretty much the message in Mike Mills solid directorial debut.
Thumbsucker is the coming of age story of Justin Cobb. He's a boy who seems to be a normal teenager, complete with parents who love him but can't relate, a crush on a girl who SEEMS like she's interested....or maybe not, a teacher who's demanding and yet sympathetic, and a orthodontist who's a wanna be new age guru. He's a pretty normal kid except for one slightly quirky nervous trait......in times of stress he likes to suck on his thumb.
What's great about Mike Mills' movie is that the character's are all solidly written, and realistically portrayed. It's a refreshing change of pace from the stock character's we often see in these coming of age movies. The parents , played by Tilda Swinton and Vincent D'Onofrio in solid, grounded performances, are aloof, yet they are also very sympathetic. The truth is they care, but in REALITY they have no idea what they are doing. The refreshing thing is they are the first to admit they aren't perfect, and are just doing their best to raise children. The teacher, played by a solid Vince Vaughn, is awkwardly affable. He's the kind of teacher that's cool in a friend sort of way, but at the same time not totally irresponsible, and quick to discipline when things get out of hand.
Sort of like real life.
The whole movie is like that. It feels authentic and sensitive, not exploitive or cheesy. The problem is that in the current entertainment market the movie is not quirky enough to be memorably hilarious, or moving enough to be interestingly dramatic. As my friend Lons remarked to me the other day, it feels like a network television drama pilot. If the movie was made in the 80's, in the midst of the John Hughes era, I'm sure it would have been a quirky hit that would have offset nicely from the Pretty in Pink type movies of the day. But in the age of Napoleon Dynamite, Rushmore, and the t.v. cult hit Freaks and Geeks, the movie becomes unfortunately forgettable.
Not that there aren't memorable performances in the movie. Keanu Reeves gets some good laughs as the Orthodontist who can also hypnotize, Kelli Garner is solid, as an elusive girl that Justin has a crush on, and Lou Taylor Pucci anchors the film nicely in a demanding role, he even received merit at last year's Sundance film Festival.
The movie is a solid although unremarkable film....which means it's better than 75% percent of the Hollywood movies out there today.
It's now available on DVD.
That's pretty much the message in Mike Mills solid directorial debut.
Thumbsucker is the coming of age story of Justin Cobb. He's a boy who seems to be a normal teenager, complete with parents who love him but can't relate, a crush on a girl who SEEMS like she's interested....or maybe not, a teacher who's demanding and yet sympathetic, and a orthodontist who's a wanna be new age guru. He's a pretty normal kid except for one slightly quirky nervous trait......in times of stress he likes to suck on his thumb.
What's great about Mike Mills' movie is that the character's are all solidly written, and realistically portrayed. It's a refreshing change of pace from the stock character's we often see in these coming of age movies. The parents , played by Tilda Swinton and Vincent D'Onofrio in solid, grounded performances, are aloof, yet they are also very sympathetic. The truth is they care, but in REALITY they have no idea what they are doing. The refreshing thing is they are the first to admit they aren't perfect, and are just doing their best to raise children. The teacher, played by a solid Vince Vaughn, is awkwardly affable. He's the kind of teacher that's cool in a friend sort of way, but at the same time not totally irresponsible, and quick to discipline when things get out of hand.
Sort of like real life.
The whole movie is like that. It feels authentic and sensitive, not exploitive or cheesy. The problem is that in the current entertainment market the movie is not quirky enough to be memorably hilarious, or moving enough to be interestingly dramatic. As my friend Lons remarked to me the other day, it feels like a network television drama pilot. If the movie was made in the 80's, in the midst of the John Hughes era, I'm sure it would have been a quirky hit that would have offset nicely from the Pretty in Pink type movies of the day. But in the age of Napoleon Dynamite, Rushmore, and the t.v. cult hit Freaks and Geeks, the movie becomes unfortunately forgettable.
Not that there aren't memorable performances in the movie. Keanu Reeves gets some good laughs as the Orthodontist who can also hypnotize, Kelli Garner is solid, as an elusive girl that Justin has a crush on, and Lou Taylor Pucci anchors the film nicely in a demanding role, he even received merit at last year's Sundance film Festival.
The movie is a solid although unremarkable film....which means it's better than 75% percent of the Hollywood movies out there today.
It's now available on DVD.
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