THUMBSUCKER	Artwork courtesy of Bull’s Eye Entertainment
So, Justin Cobb sucks his thumb – big deal. Why does anyone even care? The reason everyone is freaking out is because, at age 17, Justin is still unable to let go of his childish oral fixation. In Mike Mills’ directorial debut, Thumbsucker, he drags us into the dysfunctional world of the Cobbs whose grip on reality is about as strong as Napoleon Dynamite’s grip on the existentialism of tater tots.
Who are the Cobbs?  Mike and Audrey Cobb are those annoying parents who insist you call them by their first names. From the moment we lay eyes upon Justin's mom Audrey (Tilda Swinton), our introduction to the girl-like crush she has on TV star Matt Schramm (Benjamin Bratt) is nothing short of disturbing. There is just something wrong about watching a married woman with two kids try to win a date with her favorite celebrity by mailing in cereal box tops. In other words, June Cleaver she ain’t. At the other end of the Cobb household is Justin’s emotionally distant father, Mike (Vincent D’Onofrio), who is not much better than his kooky wife. When this macho nitwit is not losing bike races and marathons to his son’s orthodontist, he is writing his initials on Justin’s thumb to remind Justin to keep his thumb out of his mouth. I swear I’ve seen dogs mark territory with more subtlety than this wannabe alpha male. So, what’s an orally fixated boy to do? First, Justin has his new age orthodontist (Keanu Reeves) use pot-induced “hippie psychobabble” to hypnotize him and help him discover his inner power animal; but unfortunately, Justin’s power animal turns out to be Bambi. When hypnotherapy doesn’t work, the school counselor uses a brochure to diagnose Justin with ADHD and tells his parents to give him Ritalin. Strangely enough, the Ritalin seems to actually help, especially when Justin’s newly found self-confidence gives him the ability to verbally manipulate his domineering debate coach Mr. Geary (Vince Vaughn). The amazing ability Vaughn has to pull off wearing a sweater vest and glasses without stealing a single scene makes him one of the most underrated comedic actors in Hollywood today; and at times, you can almost see a glimpse of Eddie Haskell lurking underneath that tacky array of sweater vests. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end; and, so does Justin’s Ritalin – but only after someone else points out to him that it is “just speed.” Forget the fact that the drug is actually helping him; obviously, it only matters that Justin doesn’t take Ritalin because it is speed. Now, let’s see…what should a former thumb-sucking speed junky choose for his next problematic fix? How about marijuana? Might as well…he’s tried everything else. Once Justin trades in his legal Ritalin for his illegal pot, he stops to visit his favorite orthodontist who’s own epiphany conveniently applies to Justin. Yeah, the “just be yourself / everyone has flaws” message is a tad corny; but, it fits into the esoteric world of these extremely flawed characters who seem to do nothing but trade one vice for another. Ironically, when compared to everyone else in the film, Justin’s thumb-sucking is probably the most normal oddity in this inane mess of people begging for some good old-fashioned psychotherapy. In a heartfelt, albeit disturbing way, Thumbsucker addresses the absurd social pressure we put on ourselves to automatically accept everyone else’s definition of normal; and, the eccentricity of these characters is what makes us able to forgive their stupidity while chastising their vices.  Yet, most endearing is the way in which the story does not focus entirely on Justin and his soggy appendage. This unique film works because Mills makes us look beyond the trials and tribulations of a typical suburban coming-of-age story to remind us that teenagers aren't the only ones suffering from growing pains. Thumbsucker may be your typical coming-of-age story; however, what separates Justin’s story of woe from the overabundant hoards of ridiculous teen-flicks is Thumbsucker’s cast. Brilliant performances from Lou Pucci, Vince Vaughn, Tilda Swinton, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Keanu Reeves give a unique charm to a somewhat predictable chain of events. This engaging story, filled with superb acting and a phenomenal soundtrack composed by the Polyphonic Spree, harmoniously blend this emotionally charged, laugh-out-loud film into a message you won't mind hearing again.
Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures		We all have our faults that make us somewhat weird; but, unlike Justin Cobb, we don't have a little brother to "step up and be normal" while we are busy being weird.  Mike Mills will make you realize that having a problem without a cure is OK…even if it does involve sucking your thumb. © Kelly Bartley 2005