Teen heartthrob Zac Efron (High School Musical, 17 Again) makes an appealing, and wise, choice as the star of Charlie St. Cloud. Efron is able to flex his dramatic acting abilities and can stretch, ever so slightly, into a more adult role, without alienating or being off-putting to his dedicated young fans. And Efron shows signs of being a terrific young actor, with nuanced skills that have perhaps been overlooked until now, because of his appealing pinup-boy looks. Efron is delicious eye candy in Charlie St. Cloud, no question (though he has to share some of that role with the beautiful British Columbia coastline where the film is set), but he also carries the entire film, which manages to be family drama, tragedy, adventure, and budding love story–with a good dose of “live your life to the fullest” advice built in. Efron plays the title character, a gifted student and sailor who gets a full scholarship to Stanford. But right after graduation, Charlie is involved in a life-changing tragedy–one that shatters his family and his own sense of his place in the world. Efron’s Charlie is a lost young man, dedicated to the aftereffects of the tragic accident, and turns from promising young upstart to pitiable recluse–so reclusive that he lives and works at the local graveyard. The entire cast is wonderful, and they put their hearts into the sad, yet ultimately uplifting story. Young Charlie Tahan is winsome as Charlie’s younger brother, Sam. Kim Basinger, too long away from the big screen, is grounded and believable as the boys’ hard-working single mom. Ray Liotta plays a memorable cameo as a paramedic who helps save Charlie after the accident. And Amanda Crew is spunky and adorable as the independent young sailor with a secret crush on Charlie–the “old” Charlie, who was still interested in embracing life–and with possibly the only lifeline that Charlie might actually grab. The chemistry between Efron and Crew is sparkly, and Efron fans will enjoy seeing their idol in more mature love scenes. But not too mature–the raciest of the romance scenes involves Efron (not Crew) taking off his shirt–to fans’ delight. If Charlie St. Cloud isn’t too original in its plotting, nor especially crisp in its direction, it doesn’t matter–Efron’s screen appeal is plenty to propel both the story and the action. Efron fans of all ages will enjoy watching the young actor begin the process of growing up–just a bit–onscreen. –A.T. Hurley
Rating: 
(out of 6 reviews)
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September 20, 2010
#1
Review by Mr. Kaj-erik Eriksen
Rating:
Having gone to see this movie last night, I went home and ordered the book, and signed up to be notified when the movie becomes available on Amazon. Going in to see the movie, I had looked up the details on the plot. It looked like a good movie. I was not disappointed. The main characters were great, Charlie, his brother Sam, the woman who comes into his life, all were great. After Sam dies, Charlie stops going forward with his life. He can see Sam in spirit, and spends every afternoon playing ball with him. After 5 years, a woman comes into his life and shakes up his world. He is torn between hanging onto the past,time with Sam, and getting into a relationship with her. There is a boat accident, and much more. Towards the end of the movie, it can tug on the heartstrings. The ending is great. If someone is hanging onto the past that need to be let go, this would be a movie to help it happen.
Well worth going to see, and buy for the home collection.
September 20, 2010
#2
Review by Melanee J. Carmella
Rating:
This was a movie that we fully expected to find heartbreaking but we weren’t at all prepared for the amount of emotion that this movie would promote. Zac Efron deserves an Emmy for his performance as the broken-hearted, older brother suffering through the loss of his little brother. He finally finds love and your heart soars when it is returned to him…..when the twist in this movie comes at you, you’ll be rocked off of your seat…have plenty of tissues handy and ready your heart to feel love for characters that will, without a doubt, steal your heart.
Charlie St. Cloud is the best movie I have seen in a decade, in that it makes you fall in love and you will take the roller coaster ride of your life…when the ride stops, you’ll find yourself pulling for Charlie; that he will be able to live his life to the fullest.
September 20, 2010
#3
Review by Olivia Joy
Rating:
Overview: Charlie and his younger brother, Sam, are enjoying the last few weeks of summer before Charlie goes to college on a sailing scholarship. Tragedy strikes and Sam’s life is lost while a tormented Charlie’s life is saved. Instead of going on with life, he lives alone in the woods and starts working at the cemetery. Why does he stay behind? Because he can see his dead brother and promises to meet him every day to practice baseball. Thus begins the story of Charlie St. Cloud, a young man who “stops living” because he can see dead people and does not want to let go of the memory of his brother.
Good Content: Charlie’s dedication to Sam (alive and dead) is a good example of being a good brother. Even when Sam has died, Charlie keeps his promise to Sam. Later in the film Charlie turns out to be a rational young man as he makes a choice between “himself” and another person’s life.
Spiritual Content: The fact that Charlie can see dead people is not necessarily creepy. It’s more of a psychological thriller than anything. Charlie and Sam have a conversation about what would happen to Sam if Charlie broke his promise and stopped visiting him. Sam is concerned he will “cease to exist”. Charlie’s life was “saved” by a paramedic who is a strong Catholic. Later in life the two meet and the paramedic asks Charlie why he was “given a second chance to live” and if he will use this second chance for a good purpose. The paramedic believes saving Charlie was a heaven-sent act. He wears a pendant of St. Jude around his neck.
Sexual Content: Charlie and his girlfriend Tess spend a night together in the cemetery. Nothing is seen because the camera cuts out right before anything happens but cuts back in afterwards. Same tells a few crude jokes (I only got one of them because another audience member was laughing as if it was a dirty joke).
Violent Content: We see some aspects of the car crash that Charlie and Sam are in. We see them while they are in the ambulance-Charlie’s face is somewhat bloody. Charlie gets in a fist fight with another young man.
Profanity: a total of about seven or eight profane words ranging from h– to s–
Conclusion: Unnecessary elements (such as the cemetery scene, some language) make this a PG-13 film. While the idea of the plot seems “iffy”-a young man spending time with his dead brother-it doesn’t really touch on anything spiritual in terms of life and death. Rather, it is more of a psychological, “think about it” film. Borderline tragedy, chic-flick, drama, this film is recommended for mature audiences who are not opposed to somewhat “unrealistic” stories.
September 20, 2010
#4
Review by KittyKins
Rating:
This thought provoking movie is certainly worth seeing. It’s not without its flaws but the positives outweigh the negatives. The acting by Zac Efron is really superb and he carries the movie. The first time I saw it I was a little confused with some of the details in the storyline, especially when he keeps talking to dead people, but the second time I saw it a lot of things made more sense. I think you have to be in the right mood to see it and also there are a lot of details that you notice more during the second viewing. I also felt at first that they were playing on Zac Efron’s stunning good looks a little too much with their close up camera shots etc., not that I’m exactly complaining, ha ha, but at first I found that distracted from the touching storyline. The main themes of making the best of second chances, and that if God gave you a second chance to live what would you do with it, really do make you think. It’s also about moving forward and leaving your past sorrows behind, as well as a subtle message of not taking your loved ones for granted. The love story is secondary in some ways as the characters struggle to deal with these issues in their lives.
Charlie is a father figure to his younger brother Sam as their father abandoned the family. They do everything together and even won a sailing competition as a team. Charlie promises his brother that he will teach him to play baseball and they agree to practice every day at sundown. Charlie is left with “Sam Duty” and has to babysit his eleven year old brother when their Mom has to work an extra shift. Charlie tries to sneak away when it’s dark and when Sam catches him in the act, he winds up taking Sam with him. Sadly, they are then in a tragic car accident caused by a drunk driver and Charlie is devastated when Sam dies. The plan is that Charlie will put Sam’s baseball glove in the casket at the funeral, but when it comes to it he isn’t able to bring himself to do it. He runs away from the funeral and meets Sam’s ghost in the woods. They continue meet to play catch every night and here comes the crunch when Charlie starts to fall in love. He is faced with the dilemma of choosing Sam’s world or moving forward with his new girlfriend Tess also known as “sailor girl” who is planning a solo trip around the world. Charlie works in the graveyard in order to be close to Sam and feels he can’t break his promise to his brother.
I didn’t find this movie predictable, but it contained some inconsistencies or things that may be offensive to some. After the accident Charlie abstains from alcohol and one wonders if this is because of the accident, but later he seems to drink freely. I found the parts where he sees other ghosts to be a tad confusing at first viewing, but it all made sense later on. People who have died in the film seem to be in a sort of half-way state when they stay on earth until they are “ready” to go on to heaven. It seems in the story that they choose this time themselves, when they are ready to go. Some are ready to go quickly as Charlie’s former classmate who went on to war and others are hesitant to go such as Sam because he wants to stay with Charlie. It’s not clear where Sam is when he isn’t with Charlie. Sam does not seem to be aware of people who died, but Charlie’s friend tells Charlie he will say hi to Sam for him when he decides to go. Also, the location of the implied love-making scene will be viewed by some as inappropriate even though it is within “PG guidelines”.
I like the strong Catholic Christian message in the film and although there is some minimal swearing and a few religious exclamations with God’s name, the message that God has a purpose for people’s lives comes through clearly. I also like how the paramedic who saved Charlie’s life attributed Charlie’s second chance to God’s intervention. He wore a St. Jude charm around his neck and later we find out that St. Jude is the Saint for desperate or hopeless causes. Charlie learns through his experiences why God gave him a second chance and he is able to apply this same truth that was passed on to him, allowing a miracle to happen.
I’d recommend this film for Zac fans, but also people who want a story to think through things on a deeper level. The last time I went to see the film, on its last day showing here, I was the only person in the theatre which I hope isn’t a bad sign as to the movie’s popularity. If so, that would be too bad as it is a good movie even though it’s not everyone’s “cup of tea”. It’s pretty sad in parts, so do make sure you have kleenexes in your pocket so you don’t have to use the theatre’s serviettes! (Am I the only one who does that?…Winks) Also, Zac can cook for me anytime!
September 20, 2010
#5
Review by Steven Carrier
Rating:
Film: Charlie St. Cloud
Director: Burr Steers
Writers: Craig Pearce, Lewis Colick
Cast: Zac Efron, Charlie Tahan, Amanda Crew, Kim Basinger, Donal Logue, Ray Liotta, Dave Franco
Year: 2010
Charlie St. Cloud is a film that wants to be everything. It wants to be a grief drama. It wants to be a romance. It wants to be film about the bond of brotherhood. It wants to be a film about sailing. It wants to be a supernatural drama. It wants to be a comedy. It wants to be a melodrama. Is Charlie St. Cloud anything of those things: the answer is maybe. Sure all of those elements are present in the picture, but none of them are fully developed to truly connect. Based on the novel The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood, Charlie St. Cloud misses the sweet, tender nature of the Sherwood’s writing and the awe that lays in the center of his novel.
The story revolves around Charlie (Zac Efron, Me & Orson Welles), a promising young sailor whose life is put on perpetual hold when he causes the car accident that kills his younger brother Sam (Charlie Tahan, Nights in Rodanthe). With his mother (Kim Basinger, L.A. Confidential) devastated and leaving town, Charlie, runs off into the woods to encounter Sams ghost, promising him that he will continue playing baseball with him every night at dusk. Years pass and Charlie works at the cemetery where Sam is buried to fulfill his promise, when he meets the beautiful young sailor, Tess (Amanda Crew, Sex Drive). Through that relationship he starts to question that if living a secluded life in “the in-between” is really whats best for him or if finally letting go is what he needs to do.
As you can tell from the plot of the film, there is a lot going on. The supernatural aspects nearly sink the story into sappy melodrama and quite honestly don’t make much sense. The scenes of grief and the effect that Sam’s death has on his family, especially, Charlie, are well done but sadly there aren’t enough of them to fully resonate. The one aspect of the film that really does connect is that of Charlie and Tess’ romantic relationship. It’s the strongest plot point until a third acts emotional reveal threatens to destroy the entire structure.
Regardless of the scripts schizophrenia, the film is, shockingly, held together by Zac Efron’s strong performance. Coming a long way from his work in High School Musical and 17 Again (which was also directed by Burr Steers), Efron is showing real range as an actor. He has the good looks (which the camera relishes) and the charm and charisma to be a true leading man. He creates a very honest and true emotional arch for Charlie and does connect well on screen. The same can be said for Amanda Crew. She has a light and natural screen presence that helps add to the believability of the romance.
Since the film never actually picks one genre, the emotional weight of the story is pat. The cinematography is beautiful and Efron’s performance is worth a look for sure, but there really is not much else to take away from this, inoffensive, but ultimately uninteresting picture. Younger, undemanding, easily manipulated audience members will certainly take to the film, but anyone looking for an emotionally complex study on grief and family will need to see Ordinary People instead.
Rating: C