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Jamie Bell, Camilla Belle, Justin Chatwin, Glenn Close, Rory Culkin ... see more see more... , Thomas Curtis , Tim DeKay , William Fichtner , Ralph Fiennes , Richard Gleason , Caroline Goodall , John Heard , Lauren Holly , Jason Isaacs , Allison Janney , Josh Janowicz , Carrie-Anne Moss , Lou Taylor Pucci , Rita Wilson , Neal McDonough , Ben Jelen

The death of a troubled teen throws a suburban neighborhood into chaos in this darkly satirical comedy. Dean (Jamie Bell) is a disaffected teenager living in a California suburb that's beautiful on th... read more read more...e surface but populated by families who live emotionally vacant lives, with the parents often too wrapped up in their own problems to pay attention to their children. One day, Dean discovers his best (and only) friend, Troy (Josh Janowicz), has killed himself. While Troy's mother (Glenn Close) hasn't figured out her son is dead just yet, Dean opts not to tell her, and besides, his own parents (William Fichtner and Allison Janney) don't appear very concerned. Dean, however, does have reason to worry -- Billy (Justin Chatwin), Lee (Lou Taylor Pucci), and Crystal (Camilla Belle) are three bullies who used to buy drugs from Troy, and they want Dean find Troy's remaining stash and give it to them. When Dean refuses to cooperate, the bullies decide to get tough and kidnap Dean's little brother; however, they end up taking the wrong child and Dean grudging finds himself trying to rescue a child he doesn't know. Meanwhile, as the adults in the neighborhood begin to emotionally implode, "the Chumscrubber" becomes a common presence in town -- a comic book and video game character represented by a decapitated post-apocalyptic teenager who has become an unavoidable pop-culture icon. The Chumscrubber also features Ralph Fiennes, Carrie-Anne Moss, John Heard, and Rita Wilson. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

74% liked it

38,599 ratings

Critics

34% liked it

58 critics

R, 1 hr. 47 min.

Directed by: Arie Posin

Release Date: August 5, 2005

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DVD Release Date: January 10, 2006

Stats: 2,137 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,137)

  • garyX
    September 22, 2011
    garyX
    A high school student is blackmailed into recovering a stash of drugs from his dead friend's house by the school bully who kidnaps an innocent boy for leverage. The plot of The Chumscrubber is basically an "indie" version of Alpha Dog, and the whole thing comes across as a patchw... read moreork of ideas stolen from American Beauty, Heathers and Donnie Darko. But the biggest problem with it is the fact that not one of the characters is even remotely likeable. They're just a bunch of self absorbed jerks who have zero interest in anyone but themselves and it's impossible to give a crap about any of them. Even Jamie Bell, who is supposed to be the "hero" is just a smug, dour little prick who you just want to slap. There's some kind of message in here about reliance on quickie solutions to life's problems like self help or pill popping, and the scene between Bell and Close at the end does have some of the heart missing from the whole of the rest of the film. But it makes no coherent points on the subject matter and the whole thing is just a derivative, unfunny and slightly tedious shambles that pales in comparison to ALL of the films it rips off.
  • hunterjt13
    June 22, 2011
    hunterjt13
    In suburbia, a teen who recently discovered the dead body of his best friend must recover the dead kid's drugs before his classmates kill a kidnapped boy.
    I was reminded of Alpha Dog when the victim of a drug-related kidnapping rather enjoys the experience compared to the ... read morestifled restrictions of suburbia, but there is more going on here, and nothing about the drug-dealing lifestyle is glorified. The film's message, condemning the self-absorbed nature of the suburban parents and seeing the kids growing up too fast, encountering issues way beyond their age group, is entirely clear. However, the film's tone is uneven. Often I thought that there were two conflicting styles at play: the parents were in a scathing satire, with Mrs. Johnson's repeated "I in no way blame you for Troy's death" and Michael's vacant-eyed dalliances, and the kids were in a teen drama in the vein of Havoc. This juxtaposition works sometimes, but most of the time I was left wondering if these styles would ever converge; they do eventually, but it's too late and too little.
    Overall, I'm sympathetic to the film's argument, and I think much of it is well-done, but there
  • Tomassgringo
    December 22, 2010
    Tomassgringo
    Along the style of a Donnie Darko.... I enjoyed this movie just because it is different than the regurgitated Adam Sadler crap that is always out there! Jamie Bell is a fine actor. Ralph Fiennes could have just stayed home, his character in no way added anything to the movie fo... read morer me.
  • itsjustme2004
    October 25, 2010
    itsjustme2004
    While I appreciated the overall purpose/message of the story, I felt the movie was put together rather poorly. The characters were over-worked and hard to like, the plot was holey, and the cinematography was less than fabulous. In other words, this is one of those movies that cou... read moreld've been great but ended up rather mediocre.
  • imrealgod
    September 5, 2010
    imrealgod
    I found it like a combo of Donnie Darko + American Beauty + Alpha Dog (+ whatnot that I know not). Enjoyed it reasonably but there are too many annoying moments in it to make it thoroughly enjoyable.
  • LWOODS04
    July 1, 2010
    LWOODS04
    CAST: Jamie Bell, Glenn Close, Rita Wilson, Carrie-Anne Moss, William Fichtner, Ralph Fiennes, John Heard, Lauren Holly, Jason Isaacs, Allison Janney, Tim DeKay, Rory Culkin, Thomas Curtis, Justin Chatwin, Camilla Belle

    DIRECTED BY: Arie Posin

    SUMMARY: Director Arie Posin ... read moretransforms his short story into a frightfully honest portrait of suburban dysfunction in this film about Dean (Jamie Bell), a young boy who finds his friend hanging from the rafters during a neighborhood party. Figuring that no one else would care, he doesn't report his discovery to the adults, and instead embarks on a journey of harrowing isolation and loneliness.

    MY THOUGHTS: "This is a movie parents should see. It's also a movie most teenager's, and even younger kids can relate too. This movie had a very talented cast. Jamie Bell, has become a fast favorite of mine and he is amazing in this role. The movie really has a feel of the likes of 'Donnie Darko' and 'American Beauty'. Which is probably one of the reasons I liked it so much. It's a dark comedy, with many dysfunctional families. There is quite a bit going on, but it all meshes together very well, and has me come to the same conclusion. The parents are way more messed up then the kids are. In my opinion at least. But isn't that the way it goes. Parents messing up their kids and those kids growing up into the mess their parents were and then messing up their children and so on and so on. It's the never ending cycle. Suburban life is made to look so perfect and in this movie it gives you that same sense, but also how the outside is just a mirage to the craziness on the inside. These parents ignore their kids so much that all they have to say every time they needed to do something they just said "it was for school". That made everything and every situation OK. This movie really was such a great movie with a good message to parents. Don't ignore your kids, talk to them, don't push them to the side, or treat them as your own personal guinea pig. Anyone who was brought up in a dysfunctional home (I know I wasn't the only one) can, and will relate to this film. My favorite part is the ending. The talk between Glenn Close and Jamie Bell's characters. That's when it really gets real and raw. Great performances, great movie."
  • ythelastman89
    November 24, 2009
    ythelastman89
    While it is a now familiar film style, Chumscrubber brings together a blend of comedy and social commentary that makes the viewer analyze their way of life. It says a lot about ignorance of the world around. The cast is amazing and gave great performances. It is a great story tha... read moret is original and fun.
  • MovieGeek13
    March 19, 2009
    MovieGeek13
    I hate movies like this. Movies that try to analyze teenage angst as a result of poor parenting and the drab, artificiality of suburban life. What The Chumscrubber tries to do is go the Donnie Darko route, only to end up with delivering superficial, cookie-cutter ideas about te... read moreen rebellion.
    Jamie Bell plays a loser teen who relies on drugs to feel good about himself. His parents try to understand him, but they do all the wrong things, because quite simply, parents just don't get their children.
    I guess Jamie Bell delivers a good performance, since he's in almost every scene, and is able to look consistently depressed through the entire ordeal. Maybe he really was, having realized the movie he just signed on for.
  • bookmunki
    September 15, 2008
    bookmunki
    i own dvd
  • puffchunk
    October 31, 2007
    puffchunk
    This film was pretty good. The thing about it that I thought was fun was that nobody cared about anyone. All of the adults were completely oblivious to their children at all times, and the kids didn't care about anything but drugs. I hope this isn't really where life is headed... read more, but we all seem to get more selfish by the day. P.S. watching a guy get his eyeball slit open is really gross.

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Critic Reviews

Carina Chocano
November 10, 2005
Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times

An impassioned and occasionally mesmerizing first effort that's at once messier, more complex and more ambitious than many recent suburban dystopias. Full Review

Peter Travers
September 9, 2005
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

An appallingly clumsy and stupid take on drugs, kidnapping and suicide in suburbia.

Richard Roeper
August 8, 2005
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

There are some very good performances and some strong writing. Full Review

Roger Moore
August 5, 2005
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

It's neither funny nor sad, and it's filled with cheats, phony come-ons and red herrings. Full Review

Bill Muller
August 4, 2005
Bill Muller, Arizona Republic

Exploring suburban malaise is nothing new ... but The Chumscrubber puts a fresh coat on the arguments. Full Review

Colin Covert
August 4, 2005
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

A shallow, synthetic critique of suburbia loaded with more hand-me-down quirks than it can justify. Full Review

Scott Foundas
August 4, 2005
Scott Foundas, Variety

An insufferable, self-conscious cult movie. Full Review

James Christopher
June 8, 2007
James Christopher, Times [UK]

It's a surreal, offbeat comedy where the kidnappers are hopelessly inept while Bell feels hopelessly at sea. Full Review

Anthony Quinn
June 8, 2007
Anthony Quinn, Independent

Despite the top-drawer cast assembled for his debut feature, the director Arie Posin's account of emotional dislocation in the 'burbs is stymied by a fatally uneven tone and a growing suspicion that w... Full Review

June 8, 2007
Film4

A strong cast promises great things, but The Chumscrubber loses itself on the way to its indie aspirations. Full Review

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The Chumscrubber Trivia

  • Which film features Ralph Fiennes as a mayor mesmerized by dolphins?  Answer »
  • What two actors in the movie "The Chumscrubber" Say these lines Who put that knife in the wall? I did. Fix it. No. Excuse me? It's my room. No. It's not your room. It is a room in my house. Then you fix it.   Answer »
  • In the film The Chumscrubber, what exactly is a Chumscrubber?  Answer »
  • What movie does this tagline come from? Meet Generation Rx  Answer »
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