Thumbsucker - Yet Another Debate Movie
There seems to be a real run on debate-related movies. Rocket Science, the upcoming Oprah financed movie about an all Black college debating Harvard starring Denzel Washington, the Resolved movie about breaking the barriers in high school debating, but don't forget Thumbsucker, with big name talent and a debate setting. Like Rocket Science, debate becomes a way to overcome personal difficulties.
As a young person who used debating to overcome stuttering (like in Rocket Science) I find this very interesting.
But Thumbsucker did not necessarily get the attention it deserved.
From http://mrnovemberssubterranean.blogspot.com/2007/08/thumbsucker.html
I had heard great things about this movie for a while, but I only recently got to see it. Before I saw the movie I was worried that it would end up like a certain other movie (Half-Nelson) which got a ton of hype and ended up being mediocre at best. Fortunately, this was not the case. The movie was stellar. It was the perfect little indie flick with a touching story to go with it. The soundtrack mostly consists of two amazing music groups/artists; The Polyphonic Spree and Elliot Smith. It fits perfectly with the movie and sounds incredible even by its self.
All the characters were well cast and interesting. There were even a few big names in the movie; Keanu Reeves and Vince Vaughn to name a few. Keanu's character is Justin's, the main character, orthodontist who Justin has to visit regularly because he sucks his thumb and thus messes up his teeth. Keanu starts off as a hippie and progresses through several schools of thought. Vince Vaughn is Justin's debate coach who buys Justin and the rest of the debate team beer. There is always someone strung-out on something: on drugs, on sex, on love, on school, on life. Throughout the movie Justin has to deal with his thumbsucking (hence the title). He tries several different solutions, but in the end...we'll you'll see for yourself.
This movie absolutely deserves all the praise it has received (including several independent film awards). I highly recommend this movie for just about anyone.
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