Thumbsucker (2005)

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Mike Mills' adaptation of the coming of age novel Thumbsucker probably doesn't know what to jettison, because it lacks focus. Or at least seems to when you compare it to similar fare. It's just that where a normal coming of age story more or less ends with the character, uhm, coming of age, we reach that moment at the end of the first act. And then, in a way, again at the end of the second, because what this is really about, is the fact that - as Keanu Reeves' kinda brilliant post-Matrix new age life coach orthodontist intimates - there are no definitive answers, and feeling stuck, finding the key to personal growth, etc. are not things that end with your high school graduation. Case in point, the lead's parents. Tilda Swinton's starstruck nurse and Vincent D'Onofrio's competitive loser have both failed to grow out of their teenage disappointment, a single incident essentially informing their immature adult behavior. So while an adult sucking their thumb is upsetting to watch (more so than chewing one's nails and other coping mechanisms), it is no different than other characters' compulsions (including Keanu's quest for cheesy Pop Truth). They're all pacifiers to deal with anxieties stemming from lack of control or satisfaction. We get a little lost in the wider canvas, but the film is worthy for showing the coming of age story has an ugly side, and many scenes are, in isolation, possibly greater than the whole. 4 years 4 months ago