Charlie St. Cloud

Released July 30, 2010
Directed by Burr Steers
Starring: Zac Efron, Amanda Crew, Charlie Tahan, Alistair Wooley, Ray Liotta, Kim Basinger

First Viewing: August 1, 2010
Roger - 2.5/5 stars

At first, Charlie St. Cloud is looking forward to a golden future. Winning a major sailing race. Earning an Ivy League scholarship. He’s even nice to his younger brother, Sam. Nice enough to make a promise to practice baseball for an hour with him every night. (I don't recall my brother offering those kind of concrete deals for his company). Life in the St. Cloud household is fairly happy.
Then the unthinkable happens. (SPOILER ALERT) Charlie and Sam are in a horrific car accident, which kills Sam and damages Charlie so badly he has to put his life on hold: he is consumed by grief. Something changed that fatal night, though, and Charlie gains the mysterious ability to see people who have died. Including Sam. Unwilling to move forward with what he sees as his useless existence, Charlie keeps his promise, and meets with the ghost of Sam every day to practice baseball. He works as the undertaker of the local graveyard, and leads a lonely, quiet existence. He’s trapped, but also desperate to keep his word to Sam.
Charlie St. Cloud is a movie that falls short of its potential. The plot lacks continuity and flow. It struggles to find a smooth balance in tone, and you may find yourself wondering what kind of movie you’re watching. Drama? Thriller? Coming-of-age? Romance? Science Fiction? Some movies can weave genres and themes together effortlessly (watch Witness), but Charlie St. Cloud feels forced and awkward while trying to find its major themes.
Charlie’s mysterious ability is not explained (maybe it can’t be), but it seems to interrupt the feeling of the movie, not add to it. The emotion in this movie is pretty heavy-handed, as well, and there are times when a little less crying and poetry at sunset would go a long way. Sam (Tahan) is not a bad child actor, but not great, either. In some of the serious, emotional scenes, he is far behind Efron in ability, making the moment between them awkward instead of meaningful. Amanda Crew has the role of love interest Tess, and she doesn’t manage to make an already dubious character all that likeable. The character alternates between dramatic and silly, and I found myself unable to empathize with her.
However, this movie does weave a gentle spell, and Zac Efron’s performance should leave nobody in doubt that he is a gifted young actor. He has considerable screen presence, and acts with genuine ease and talent. The film is locally shot in BC, notably with Steveston filling in as “Quincy Fishing Village.” The natural scenery is beautiful and mesmerizing.
While Charlie St. Cloud lacks symmetry, Efron’s performance is heartfelt and worth watching. There is too much melodrama, and the storyline can get clichéd and shaky, but Efron almost manages to make up for it.