Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- surreal
- darkly comic
- disturbing
- late night viewing
- indie film night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film technically assured and well acted but derivative, smug, and unsuccessful as a sharp indictment of suburban disconnection.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Teenagers and parents alike pursue pills, parties, status, and appearances while failing to respond meaningfully to Troy's death or their children's distress.
Dean, Billy, Lee, Crystal, and Charlie navigate parental absence and self-absorption while adults remain largely detached from the crisis around them.
The suicide, pill economy, kidnapping mistake, pool-party setting, and parallel-world imagery are presented through an off-kilter comic-dramatic lens.
Dean's search for his brother and refusal to retrieve Troy's pills intersects with Crystal, Billy, and Lee's kidnapping scheme and the adults' disconnected lives.
Films like The Chumscrubber, and why
American Beauty
surreal suburban satire, alienated teenagers, and dysfunctional family dynamics
Donnie Darko
darkly comic adolescent alienation and stylized critique of affluent suburbia
The Virgin Suicides
teen suicide, suburban disconnection, and an uneasy blend of drama with satire
Thumbsucker
provocative coming-of-age drama centered on troubled youth and family dysfunction
Movie Details
- Director
- Arie Posin
- Release Date
- 2005-06-08
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (229)
Cast
- Jamie Bell
- Camilla Belle
- Justin Chatwin
- Glenn Close
- Kathi Copeland
- Rory Culkin
- Thomas Curtis
- Tim DeKay
- Lauren Holly
- Carrie-Anne Moss
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Chumscrubber about?
- After a teen dealer’s suicide fractures an affluent California suburb, a reluctant friend is pulled into a surreal kidnapping scheme driven by grief, pills, and parental neglect.
- What is The Chumscrubber like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Chumscrubber as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Chumscrubber violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Chumscrubber as mild.
- What did critics think of The Chumscrubber?
- Critics generally found the film technically assured and well acted but derivative, smug, and unsuccessful as a sharp indictment of suburban disconnection.
- Which films are like The Chumscrubber?
- Films with a similar feel include American Beauty, Donnie Darko, The Virgin Suicides, and Thumbsucker.
- How long is The Chumscrubber?
- The Chumscrubber runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Chumscrubber?
- In United States, The Chumscrubber is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
