Film: Charlie St Cloud
Starring: Zac Efron (17 Again, High School Musical), Ray Liotta (Goodfellas, Blow), and Amanda Crew (The Haunting in Connecticut, She's the Man)
U.S. Release: 2010 (rated PG-13)
Director: Burr Steers (17 Again)
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 99 minutes
Just last week the reviews started pouring out for Burr Steers and Zac Efron's second collaboration Charlie St Cloud. The general consensus on the film was ... eh, not so good. Most critics described the film as M. Night Shyamalan-esque, and we know the direction that his career is headed. Since I don't have the luxury of seeing a film before its reviews hit the press, I had to do my best to tune out all of the negative critiques I read on the movie. That being said, it was nowhere near as bad the latest crop of Shyamalan films to hit the big screen.
St Cloud takes place in present day New England. Charlie (Efron) is a young, ambitious, and charming man with his future mapped out. His sailing scholarship to Stanford is his ticket to a better life. However, a fatal accident, for which Charlie can't help but feel responsible, ultimately leads to the death of his younger brother, Sam. Unable to cope with the loss, Charlie ditches his scholarship and becomes the local hermit. But Charlie has a deep secret, he can see and hear the spirit of his deceased brother Sam. Both of the siblings refuse to move on from this tragedy, and this posthumous relationship begins to consume Charlie's life.
The difficulty of the film is suspending your belief and allowing yourself to believe Charlie's visions. But once you accept his superhuman ability, Charlie St Cloud is a very moving story. Not only is the flow and storyline of the film adequate, but the acting is stellar as well. Efron has already reached "superstar" status with his teenybopper High School Musical franchise. His first project with St Cloud director Burr Steers was the fun family comedy 17 Again. Despite the film's simplicity, Efron was wonderful in the comedy, and he continued to show his versatility in the duo's latest project. He is only 22 years old, so we should expect many more quality performances from Efron in the future.
All in all, Charlie St Cloud wasn't anything groundbreaking or revolutionary, but in what's obviously been a down year for cinema, the film was a pleasant surprise. I wouldn't recommend the movie to everyone, but to any moviegoer who has a vivid imagination and enjoys a roller coaster ride of emotions, Charlie St Cloud will entertain you.
Watch Charlie St Cloud if you enjoyed: The Sixth Sense. It's less suspenseful than the classic Shyamalan flick, but it's dramatic and clever in its own way.
Stars: 2 out of 4
Starring: Zac Efron (17 Again, High School Musical), Ray Liotta (Goodfellas, Blow), and Amanda Crew (The Haunting in Connecticut, She's the Man)
U.S. Release: 2010 (rated PG-13)
Director: Burr Steers (17 Again)
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 99 minutes
Just last week the reviews started pouring out for Burr Steers and Zac Efron's second collaboration Charlie St Cloud. The general consensus on the film was ... eh, not so good. Most critics described the film as M. Night Shyamalan-esque, and we know the direction that his career is headed. Since I don't have the luxury of seeing a film before its reviews hit the press, I had to do my best to tune out all of the negative critiques I read on the movie. That being said, it was nowhere near as bad the latest crop of Shyamalan films to hit the big screen.
St Cloud takes place in present day New England. Charlie (Efron) is a young, ambitious, and charming man with his future mapped out. His sailing scholarship to Stanford is his ticket to a better life. However, a fatal accident, for which Charlie can't help but feel responsible, ultimately leads to the death of his younger brother, Sam. Unable to cope with the loss, Charlie ditches his scholarship and becomes the local hermit. But Charlie has a deep secret, he can see and hear the spirit of his deceased brother Sam. Both of the siblings refuse to move on from this tragedy, and this posthumous relationship begins to consume Charlie's life.
The difficulty of the film is suspending your belief and allowing yourself to believe Charlie's visions. But once you accept his superhuman ability, Charlie St Cloud is a very moving story. Not only is the flow and storyline of the film adequate, but the acting is stellar as well. Efron has already reached "superstar" status with his teenybopper High School Musical franchise. His first project with St Cloud director Burr Steers was the fun family comedy 17 Again. Despite the film's simplicity, Efron was wonderful in the comedy, and he continued to show his versatility in the duo's latest project. He is only 22 years old, so we should expect many more quality performances from Efron in the future.
All in all, Charlie St Cloud wasn't anything groundbreaking or revolutionary, but in what's obviously been a down year for cinema, the film was a pleasant surprise. I wouldn't recommend the movie to everyone, but to any moviegoer who has a vivid imagination and enjoys a roller coaster ride of emotions, Charlie St Cloud will entertain you.
Watch Charlie St Cloud if you enjoyed: The Sixth Sense. It's less suspenseful than the classic Shyamalan flick, but it's dramatic and clever in its own way.
Stars: 2 out of 4
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