'The Chumscrubber': Another (yawn) suburban satire
by Chris Garcia
Edgy suburban satire is officially kaput with the obnoxiously derivative "The Chumscrubber," a grim comedy that strains for hipster cred by copying other, better films, often with alarming brazenness. The folks behind "American Beauty" and "Donnie Darko," for starters, might want to consider their legal options. Lifting the tone, ideas and even scenes from those films, "Chumscrubber" shovels out flaccid and pretentious social commentary that only very young filmmakers could mistake for urgent revelations. Down to the cloyingly cryptic title, the movie tries much too hard.
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A dark satire about life in the postcard-perfect California suburbs, centering on high school students like Dean Stiffle, who discovers the body of his drug-dealing best friend hanging in his bedroom, and adults like Dean's father, who writes pop-psychology books with titles like "The Happy Accident."
Newmarket Films
'The Chumscrubber'
Director: Arie Posin
Starring: Jamie Bell, Camilla Belle, Justin Chatwin, Glenn Close, Rory Culkin
Run time: 108 minutes
Release date: August 5, 2005
Rating: R for language, violent content, drug material and some sexuality.
On the web
Official movie site
View the trailer
Trailers require
Quicktime
Austin American-Statesman: 1 of 5 stars
"You feel bad for (the cast) for believing they were part of a sure-fire hipster project that will enjoy a hearty cult half-life. Ladies and gentlemen, you have been duped."
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