Thumbsucker

R

Released Sep 16, 2005

1 hr. 35 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

71%

117 Reviews

Tomatometer

71%

50,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In the strange land known as suburbia, introverted adolescent Justin (Lou Pucci) spends the majority of his life pining after his attractive classmate Rebecca (Kelli Garner) and nervously sucking his thumb when he's alone. Oddly, after receiving some New Age advice from his spacey orthodontist, Perry (Keanu Reeves) -- and a helpful dose of prescription pills -- Justin becomes the outspoken star of his school's debate club. His extroverted persona, however, causes an all-new set of problems.

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Critics Consensus

Though quirky coming-of-age themes are common in indie films, this one boasts a smart script and a great cast.

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David W

Thumbsucker features the feel and overall aesthetic of many 2000s indie films but with a level of effort that comes off as unnatural. The cast features several heavyweights and the performances from all are solid. The film may have been better served if the screenplay had leaned further into some of its themes. The story felt shallow to me despite its best efforts at creating depth. I would watch this again if there were nothing better to choose from.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/24

Full Review

steve d

I found it uncomfortable and gross

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Such a great cast can't make 'Thumbsucker' more than a pretty standard coming-of-age tale. Mike Mills' feature-length debut has many of the necessary ingredients to tell a moving story about a dysfunctional youth's journey through his latter years of high school but lacks the necessary heft in the second and third acts.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Good movie! Similar to the movie "Lady Bird".

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

dave s

Justin is a 17-year-old in search of acceptance and some form of comfort, living in a world where he feels alienated and misunderstood. Once you get past the ugliness of the actual thumbsucking and the ugliness of Keanu Reeves' performance as the philosophy-spouting dentist (a horrible casting decision), Thumbsucker is a quietly insightful examination of adolescence and manages to avoid all of the stereotypes that present themselves in typical Hollywood coming-of-age stories. The film is bolstered by subdued direction from Mike Mills and strong performances from the leads, including Lou Taylor Pucci in the titular role.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A witty coming of age story with multiple layers to it. It has a somewhat dream like feeling through most of it, but I rather enjoy that particular effect. Maybe it doesn't teach you anything particularly profound, but the way the movie puts the revelations feel profound in a simple and cozy way. It can ease your mind about life's problems and crises, particularly those which we have to confront when we're trying to establish our own identities and figure out our life paths. It doesn't over explain, giving the audience space for interpretation and self-reflection.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

Full Review

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Mike Mills

Director

Lou Taylor Pucci

Justin Cobb

Tilda Swinton

Audrey Cobb

Vince Vaughn

Mr. Geary

Vincent D'Onofrio

Mike Cobb

Keanu Reeves

Perry Lyman

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Ty Burr

Boston Globe

Rated: 3/4

Nov 24, 2011

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 4/5

Apr 1, 2006

Full Review

Ken Tucker

New York Magazine/Vulture

Unlike so many movies in which a character changes in order to propel the plot forward, this one stops to follow up on the consequences of those changes.

Dec 9, 2005

Full Review

David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

Justin Cobb, the narrator of Walter Kirn's wildly funny novel (an amazing Lou Pucci), needs a lot of help to quit a shameful habit...

May 7, 2020

Full Review

Alberto Abuín

Espinof

A very loose movie, which is even capable to provoke antipathy. [Full Review in Spanish]

Jun 28, 2019

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)

Sublimely honest insight into the complexities of life

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 5, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

In the strange land known as suburbia, introverted adolescent Justin (Lou Pucci) spends the majority of his life pining after his attractive classmate Rebecca (Kelli Garner) and nervously sucking his thumb when he's alone. Oddly, after receiving some New Age advice from his spacey orthodontist, Perry (Keanu Reeves) -- and a helpful dose of prescription pills -- Justin becomes the outspoken star of his school's debate club. His extroverted persona, however, causes an all-new set of problems.

Director: Mike Mills
Executive Producer: Ted Hope, Anne Carey, Bob Yari, Cathy Schulman
Screenwriter: Mike Mills
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Keep Your Head, Good Machine, This Is That Productions, Bull's Eye Entertainment, Scared Little Animals LLC
Rating: R (Drug/Alcohol Use|Disturbing Images|Language|Sexuality Involving Teens)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 16, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 2, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.3M

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