Charlie St. Cloud: (July 30th, 2010): PG-13
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #5 with $12,381,585
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $28,758,460
Gross Revenue: $29,114,892
Budget: $44 million
Director: Burr Steers
In terms of potential summer blockbusters, Charlie St. Cloud falls into the category of films that I was completely unaware of before the summer season began. The film is actually based on the 2004 novel, The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, but given that this source material is not as well known as a certain other novel about sparkly vampires, I was expecting a more aggressive marketing campaign. Aside from the trailers, I really didn’t notice any additional marketing, which is pretty risky when you consider that Charlie St. Cloud is not part of an established series, has a lead actor who really only appeals to the female demographic, and is facing significant competition from other summer movies. Despite this potential shortcoming, I have to admit that the previews for Charlie St. Cloud seemed to promise a pretty unique drama with both heart and romance, so in looking for something different at the theaters this summer, I decided to ignore my initial apprehension towards Zac Efron and give his latest film attempt a try.
Zac Efron plays Charlie St. Cloud, a recent high school graduate and sailing champion who has just been given a full sailing scholarship to Stanford University. Charlie promises his beloved younger brother Sam (Charlie Tahan) that he will practice baseball with him up until he leaves for college, but almost as soon as this promise is made, tragedy strikes and Charlie and Sam are caught in a car crash with a drunk-driver. Though EMTs are able to revive Charlie, Sam is killed; amidst his grief, Charlie makes an amazing discovery…he is able to see and communicate with Sam, and so he decides to put his life on hold in order to honor the agreement he made with his brother. Fast forward five years and Charlie is now working as a cemetery caretaker, isolating himself from others but never faltering to play catch with Sam every day at sundown. This routine is threatened when Charlie meets engaging female sailor Tess (Amanda Crew); as Charlie and Tess grow closer, Charlie finds himself having to choose between spending time with his brother and with his love interest. When Tess is involved in a sailing accident and Charlie ends up being the only one able to save her, Charlie is faced with the possibility of breaking his promise to his brother in the hopes of saving the one person who can help him move on with his life.
On a positive note, Zac Efron’s acting is surprisingly strong in this dramatic role, helping most audiences forget that he was made famous by singing songs in a basketball jersey, and illustrating that he can be a likable leading man. At times Efron lays on the emotion a little thick, but he still plays a very convincing older brother, so the audience is easily able to empathize with his loss. And though you wouldn’t expect him to be funny, Efron also brings a surprising amount of humor to his role…on a side note, if you want an example of Efron’s comedic talent, check out his SNL skit where he spoofs his character from High School Musical, it’s hysterical. Given his popularity with female audiences, its no surprise that Efron can turn on the charm, and his chemistry with co-star Amanda Crew blends for a very believable romance. Though I was initially disappointed in how some of the veteran acting talent in the film was underused (Hollywood legends Kim Basinger and Ray Liotta are only on-screen for a combined ten minutes), it was refreshing to see some of Hollywood’s younger actors more than ably lead a summer film. Despite my newfound respect for the acting ability of this High School Musical alumnus, there are still plenty of weak elements present in Charlie St. Cloud.
Taking a more critical stance, one problem present has to do with the character of Charlie’s brother Sam; we haven’t seen young actor Charlie Tahan featured so prominently on-screen since Will Smith quoted Shrek’s conversation with Donkey to him in 2007’s I Am Legend, and it seems that there was a good reason. There are times where Sam comes off as a little too annoying, and whereas you feel Charlie St. Cloud’s emotion towards a younger brother throughout, you just don’t sense that Sam has the same feelings towards the older brother who has put his life on hold to honor a promise. I’ll admit that this is a small criticism, but it is just so apparent when put next to Zac Efron’s strong performance.
Aside from acting criticisms, as I said in the “Short and Sweet” review, the weakest part of Charlie St. Cloud has to do with its story; though I understand that the film is very faithful to its source material, I still think that most audience will share my apprehension towards certain plot elements…maybe the book shouldn’t have been turned into a movie. It is explained that because Charlie temporarily flat-lined during the accident, he shares a small link with the afterlife, and that is why he is able to communicate with his brother. Though this bit of fantasy is necessary for the plot of the film, I can’t help but feel that the writers went a little too far with this concept, resulting in a completely unnecessary plot twist that interrupts the flow of the narrative and distracts the audience as they attempt to process the confusing and uncomfortable implications that this twist has for the rest of the story. Though this twist isn’t as big of a deal breaker as the thoroughly idiotic shift in direction during 2008’s Hancock, I still wish that trailers had prepared me better…I just wasn’t expecting such a strong supernatural presence in a film that had been sold to me as primarily a drama and romance complemented by a few elements of fantasy.
Looking at the box-office numbers, Charlie St. Cloud debuted at a thoroughly unimpressive fifth place, drawing just over $12 million. Given its limited appeal and the other choices available to movie-goers, I cannot say that I am all that surprised. I guess you can at least appreciate that Charlie St. Cloud does at least represent a step forward in Zac Efron’s acting career…let’s see what his future holds. In the end, Charlie St. Cloud is a unique drama with some pleasing acting, but the confusing and unexpected plot was just a little too big of a problem for me. As a dramatic chick-flick, its acceptable, but I wouldn’t recommend that anyone wait in line for this one.
Overall Recommendation: Low
